


Cursed Hearts

by regalsoulmates



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, drama drama!, enchanted forest shenanigans, eventual zelena / regina sister bonding, hood family adventure, zelena / caroline friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 58,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regalsoulmates/pseuds/regalsoulmates
Summary: After ten years of peace and quiet, Robin and Regina thought their days of saving the world were over. But when their daughter Caroline befriends a certain wicked witch, things in Storybrooke take an unexpected turn. Sequel to 'We Can Love Again'.
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Tinker Bell, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood, Grace | Paige/Henry Mills, Knave of Hearts | Will Scarlet/Red Riding Hood | Ruby, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard, Roland Hood/August Booth
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	1. A Surprise Encounter

Hurried footsteps sounded around the corner, followed by the ding of a bell fastened to the top of the door. Snow flurries feathered the outside sky, making the diner seem especially welcoming that Monday afternoon. Business was slow, yet the room seemed to light up at the presence of the nine year old girl.

"Hi Granny, Mom sent me to get dinner." She began, sitting herself up on one of the barstools.

The elderly woman smiled. She had a soft spot for the girl, considering the fact that her life had begun in her quaint little restaurant.

"Alright then Miss Caroline, what will it be today?"

Fishing out a crumpled list from her pocket, she squinted at her father's messy handwriting. "Lasagna, macaroni salad, and three hamburgers- Roland insisted on getting two for himself."

Granny chuckled, accepting the girl's crisp twenty dollar bill and sticking it in the register. "We'll have all that out as soon as possible. You just sit tight."

That was something Caroline was used to doing. The diner was a second home to her, along with everyone in it. She had grown up with these people, never knowing anything else than the little town of Storybrooke, Maine. Though things weren't very eventful, there were still many tales of villains and heroes, battling head to head for the sanctity of true love. She knew very well of her family's past history; her mother, the powerful queen, and her father, the outlaw with the bravest heart of them all. Of course she was proud to call herself the daughter of Regina and Robin Hood, but life at home was far from eventful. In her school, there were only five other students her age. She didn't mind it too much, it only meant she spent a large majority of time with her family. Her huge, slightly chaotic family.

"Hey kid, anything new happening with you?" Ruby Lucas asked, catching Caroline's attention quickly.

Her response only came in a shrug. "Not much. Just school."

The waitress had to roll her eyes at her enthusiasm as she filled a glass with chocolate milk. "At least you're surviving the cold. Your mom owes you for making you come out here in storm like this." Ruby then slid the glass of milk over to her, smiling as the nine year old quickly drank it down.

Caroline wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smirking at her comment. "Yeah, but I don't mind. Being at home means watching Roland playing video games and Mom talking about work."

"Well, you're always welcome at the apartment. When Will isn't trying to cook, that is."

She had to chuckle at that one. Her uncle Will was something else.

"That man is a disgrace to cooking," Granny intervened, setting a large paper bag down in front of her. "Now you be careful getting this home, Caroline Grace. And tell your mother to quit sending you outside when it's ten below; you're bound to catch something one of these days."

The girl smirked, sliding off the barstool and taking the gigantic bag in her arms. "Okay Granny. Thanks for the food!"

After Granny and Ruby both bid their goodbyes, Caroline set off on the journey back to her house. The snow flurries had vanished, yet the temperature had stayed at its bone chilling temperature of three degrees. It seemed as though Storybrooke had frozen over.

Pressing the bag against her coat, she began down the white covered sidewalk, only able to go a few feet before she slipped on a patch of ice, sending her and her family's dinner onto the ground. Caroline responded with a groan, instantly taking attention to the pain from her knee. Looking down, she was less than amused to see a tear had appeared in one of her good pair of jeans. Not only a tear, but a scrape as well- blood began to appear over her skin, followed by more pain. There she was, Caroline Hood, nine years old, sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, her dinner scattered in the snow beside her; she looked helpless in every way possible.

"Are you hurt?"

A voice sounded from the silence, causing the girl to glance upward in surprise.

"Uh, no, just got a scrape. I'll be okay." She replied, though, not in a convincing way.

Her mysterious hero was dressed in a black coat and snow boots, two things necessary for surviving a winter in Storybrooke. As Caroline focused more on the perfect stranger, she realized that her rescuer was a woman, around the same age as her mother.

"That doesn't look good," she noted, unzipping her purse and fishing her hand inside. "Luckily, I have a solution."

Tentatively, the woman kneeled down before her, presenting her with a thin white bandaid. "May I?"

Caroline was skeptical, but she figured there could be no harm done in having some help. Soon, the bandaid was placed over her wound, and she was helped up to her feet. Surveying the catastrophic scene before her, Caroline's heart sank when she saw that the macaroni salad had spilled all over the snow.

"Surely Granny can make you another one," the woman attempted, picking up the bag and handing it to the girl. "I've got to pick up an order myself."

Perplexed at her kindness, the nine year old followed her back into the restaurant, feeling rather ashamed at what she had done. The sinking feeling inside had to chance of going away- her mother was going to be angry when she saw the rip in her pants.

"Granny... Do you think you could make another macaroni salad? It sort of... Spilled."

The older woman gave her an unamused look. "I told you to be careful, Caroline!"

Her face fell into a saddened pout, something she was good at doing. It worked every time with her father.

"I'm sorry, I promised Mom I'd be back by five."

Granny wasn't a woman to be messed with. Everyone knew this; she was tough as nails, absolutely nothing nor no one frightened her. But, for Caroline... There was hardly anything she wouldn't do.

"It's okay dear. It'll be another few minutes, though."

Instantly, the girl's gloomy expression turned into a smile. "Thank you!"

For a second, Caroline thought she caught a faint smile on Granny's face.

"And you had the cheesecake, right?" She asked, turning her attention to the woman beside her. For a second, Caroline had forgotten she was even there.

Ruby handed her the small round dish with a smile, collecting her money and getting on with her job.

"Cheesecake is probably the most delicious thing in this realm," she sighed, breathing in the smell with a smile. "Would you... Like to share some with me? You'll be here for a little bit longer, and I certainly can't eat all this myself."

The nine year old hesitated for a second; she was right, but she also knew her parents wouldn't be happy with the fact that she was talking with a stranger. They were most likely already angry with her, though, for taking so long at the diner. So she nodded and sat down in the chair across from the woman who had come to her aid just minutes prior, awkwardly accepting a fork from her and taking a small bite from the side.

"You're the mayor's daughter, right?"

Caroline nodded warily towards the mysterious woman.

"I can tell. You look like her."

"Do you have any kids?" She knew she had to start reciprocating questions before the awkwardness fried her to pieces right there at the diner.

The woman chuckled as she reached for another bite. "No, it's just me. I do work with babies, though."

The confusion was still biting at the back of her mind; Caroline had lived in Storybrooke her entire life, and not once had she seen this woman before. If the stories her parents had told her were true, then everyone in the town had been there since before the curse was broken, back when they had forgotten who they really were. Some people had avoided the curse, and still lived in a land called the Enchanted Forest. Nobody could switch between realms, not easily, that was. And if they did, surely the nine year old would have heard about it.

"Is something wrong?" She heard the woman ask, making her realize that her expression had changed.

"No, I was just wondering why I've never seen you before," Caroline admitted, figuring there was no harm in saying it. "Were you here since the town was created, or do you have..."

The woman eyed her curiously. "Have what, dear? Magic?"

There was something new in her voice then, suddenly making Caroline extremely interested in what she had to say.

"No, I didn't arrive here with the rest of these people," she began, "I made my own portal. Just a few weeks ago, actually."

She took pleasure in seeing the nine year old's brown eyes widen with curiosity.

"So you do have magic, then. What's the Enchanted Forest like?"

Chuckling, the woman slowly took another bite of cheesecake. "It's certainly beautiful. Perhaps when we have more time I can tell you about it."

The answer wasn't the answer she was expecting, but even that couldn't stop the excitement from spooky in Caroline's face. She had actually met someone besides her parents who had recently been to the Enchanted Forest; someone who also had magic, nonetheless. Before that day, she had believed that only her mother, Emma, Mother Superior, and Rumplestiltskin had magic in their town.

"Now, you said your mother was Regina Mills," the woman continued curiously, "so who's your father then?"

Caroline properly licked the cheesecake from her fork before replying. "Robin Hood. I have two older brothers on top of that."

After she said that, she caught a look of surprise on the woman's face- she had absolutely no idea why.

"Isn't he... A thief? I think I remember hearing his name around in the Enchanted Forest."

Caroline let out a small laugh. "I think he used to be, but he's just my dad now."

When she reached for another bite of cheesecake, she realized that it was completely gone. How that happened was something even she didn't know.

"Caroline, your food is ready!" Granny shouted across the diner, causing the girl to turn around in her chair.

"Well, I guess I better get going," she said, "thanks for sharing your cheesecake with me. And for uh, helping me with that fall."

The woman smiled back at her. "Not a problem! You're strong for a girl like yourself."

"Hey, I'll be ten in three weeks. I can take care of myself." Caroline countered, "but I'll definitely be more careful this time."

She was about to turn around and retrieve her food, but that was before she realized that she didn't even know the woman's name.

"Oh yeah, what's your name? You know, just in case my mom knows you or something."

Standing up, the woman held the empty cheesecake box in her hands, sliding her purse back over her shoulder.

"Zelena. Yours?"

Caroline had to take a moment to ponder on that name- definitely unique, to say the least. But, even without knowing her name, she could never possibly forget the woman with hair red as fire.

"Caroline."

They shook hands then, making the girl feel delightfully grown up.

"That's a pretty name. Well hopefully I'll see you around town, Caroline."

And she secretly hoped she did. Finally; something interesting was happening in the quiet little town of Storybrooke.

The nine year old didn't hesitate to grab her second order of food and take off towards home.


	2. The Hood Family

Snowfall had always been something she was fond of. It was something simple, yet it made such a beautiful appearance through her front window. This day, however, Regina wasn't looking outside her window for enjoyment- her daughter was out there somewhere. And even though the snow looked stunning, she knew there were hidden dangers laced beneath the surface.

"I knew one of us should've went with her," Regina sighed, managing to tear her eyes from the scene in front of her to face her husband.

As usual, there was a pleasant smile on his face- after ten years of knowing him, she knew exactly what he was going to say.

"You worry too much, dear, she's just going to Granny's."

She then heard a moan from the living room. "And she's taking forever!"

Caroline was taking forever. That was what had begun her worry in the first place. A nine year old shouldn't be out in such horrible weather.

"It's probably just busy today, that's all," Robin said, comforting her to the best of his abilities, as always.

Soon, she felt a pair of arms around her, filling her with a warmth only he could give. Maybe her complete family wasn't there, but at least her husband was.

"Guys, we established this- no romance in the living room!" Roland hollered when he saw them, trying to avoid the mushy couple as he plopped down on the couch.

Robin responded to his son's outburst by playfully pecking his wife on the cheek, knowing it would irritate him further.

"I don't remember making any deals about that," he stated, holding Regina tighter and watching the teen blatantly ignore him.

Robin didn't want to call his fifteen year old son awkward, but that was exactly what teenagers were- awkward. Sure he had passed through all the voice changes, the random bouts of growth spurts, the hormones, but Roland was still turned off completely by love or affection. He absolutely hated his mother giving him hugs, which she still enforced upon him, or even just complimenting him on simple things. Regina worried it was because he was scared of girls; however, Roland did have a few friends that were girls. And, as far as she knew, her youngest son had received the exact same 'birds and bees' talk from Robin that Henry got when he was his age. His twenty two year old brother was getting along well with girls- a little bit too well, for Regina's liking.

"What's Alex doing for the weekend?" She asked, his focus down on the screen of his phone.

"Uh, I think she's helping out her mom at her studio. Why?"

"Just asking," she said, sensing his defensiveness, "you haven't invited her over for a while. Same with August."

Even though August Booth was a year and a half older than him, he was one of Roland's best friends. He had been fairly successful in keeping up with his second chance at being a teenager again, spending a majority of his time with his grandfather in his woodcarving shop. It was slightly weird when they first started hanging out, because Regina knew August as a thirty year old writer who rode a motorcycle around town. The seventeen year old August rode that same motorcycle.

"Don't worry about me, Mom," Roland chuckled, setting his phone down when he heard the front door open.

Relief flooded through her system when she saw her daughter trudge into the house, her shoes squeaking against the hardwood as she set the bags of food down on the kitchen table.

"What took you so long?" Regina asked; naturally the first thing she said.

Caroline shook the snow from her hair, slipping off her coat and taking off her shoes.

"Granny's was super busy! And, uh-"

"What happened to your jeans?" Regina demanded, practically gasping when she saw the rip on her left knee.

She honesty didn't think her mother would notice as quickly as she did. "I slipped! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Lowering herself down to her knees, Regina began to inspect the problem. "At least you got a bandaid over it- does it hurt?"

Caroline was beyond relieved she didn't ask about who had helped her. "Not really. Just stings a little. Can you fix it with magic?"

Behind her, Roland already had his arm dipped inside the paper bag, pulling out the food one by one. When Regina turned around, both he and Robin were caught in the act. She pointed a threatening finger towards them.

"We eat when I say we eat, so sit down and be patient."

Robin set his fork down in defeat, letting out a faint "yes dear," as he took his seat.

Satisfied, Regina turned back towards her daughter, waving her hand over the rip and watching the fabric mend itself.

"There you go," she said with a smile, standing up to give her a hug, her skin still cold, "thank you for going out there."

It really wasn't a big deal, but she smiled anyways.

"Now, let's have some of that lasagna I've been craving," Regina said, sitting down at the head of the table and beginning to dish out the food. Family dinners were always a pleasure for the Hoods; it was time when they could all be together, even with all the business in their lives. Robin was still ran the animal shelter, Regina was mayor of the town, Roland had baseball practice just about every day, and Caroline had recently taken piano as an interest, which meant lessons once a week over at Mother Superior's house. Their oldest, Henry, was attending college in Toronto, living close to where Neal and Tinkerbell had ran off to. Regina was happy to hear about her dear friend, the fairy who had brought her and Robin together in the first place, and the blossoming relationship she and Neal shared. Henry had said in his latest letter home that they were doing just fine. It seemed as though Henry were still her little prince, the boy who read comic books and dreamed of fairytales- now he was an adult, a senior in college, majoring in political science.

"So, Princess, how was school today?" Robin asked, watching his daughter pick at the food scattered around her plate.

"Boring. We just talk about boring stuff all the time."

She didn't think her response was amusing, but both her parents smiled and exchanged glances with one another.

"You must do something fun at school," her father continued, "what's fourth grade without any fun?"

It was cool to have her godmother, Snow White, as her teacher, but she could never get herself to sit still and pay attention. There were so many other places she could be, anywhere but trapped in a desk and chair for eight hours.

"Is there anyone else in this town with magic?" She asked, completely out of the blue. Caroline couldn't help but ask; the question had been nagging her since Zelena had told her.

Regina gave her daughter an odd look, not sure what to say at first. "Well, Mother Superior has magic," she began, "and so does Rumple, Emma, and myself. Why are you asking?"

For a second, Caroline froze. She didn't know why, but her encounter with the redheaded woman wasn't something she wanted to tell them about. But if Zelena was telling the truth about coming into the town with a portal, by the looks of things, her parents most likely didn't know about it.

"I don't know, it just seems like more people should have it, I guess," she admitted, before taking a sip of her milk.

Her mother gave her a look from across the table. "People are fine without it," she reassured, "magic can make things crazier than they need to be."

Beside her, Roland smirked. "Then I wouldn't ever have to do homework again."

Regina cast her eyes down towards her plate as the bitter memory of Roland's accident returned into her thoughts. He had been young, so close to the edge of death; yet now, almost ten years later, he didn't remember a thing about it. More specifically, the fact that Caroline had magic. Both parents had told him that he had simply slipped on a wet floor and bashed his head- everything else that had happened in that week was subtracted from the conversation. Henry, being twelve at the time of that disaster, hadn't forgotten about what had really went down between his mother and his uncle. He still knew Caroline had magic, though, since his sister didn't, it certainly wasn't a hard secret to keep. The turquoise earrings were never something discussed- the girl thought nothing of them. So there they were, a normal family, just like everyone else, their children filled with enough ignorance to allow them to live a happy, content life. There was no magic needed. The price simply wasn't worth it.

Robin seemed to notice the change in behavior of his wife, for he was at her side within seconds.

"You'd still have to do it," he chuckled, "I'm not about to raise uneducated children in this household."

Rolling his eyes, Roland took the last bite of his second hamburger and downed his soda.

"You're one to talk, you never had to take geometry, or chemistry, or history..."

Well, he wasn't lying. Robin had taken off when he was around his age.

"True, but knowing that stuff won't kill you. Henry graduated with all A's, and look where he is now. Speaking of your brother, you better get that room cleaned before he gets in town tomorrow."

The mention of her oldest brother instantly perked up Caroline's attention. She was more than excited for him to visit again; the last time had been Christmas. He always had so many stories to tell about the world outside Storybrooke. Sometimes, Henry even brought her back little gifts.

"What will we do with him?" She asked, interest sparking across her small face.

Regina smiled. "Whatever we want. I want to arrange a little arrival party with Emma and her parents so we can all be together when he gets here- oh, and Grace too."

Grace Hatter was Henry's girlfriend. They had officially been together for about three years, starting in their senior year of high school. She lived with her father in that huge mansion of a house, and took online classes from the University of Maine. Obviously having Henry away for a majority of the time made her lonely, but Regina had made it very clear to her that she was welcome at the Hood home any time she liked. Caroline absolutely loved having her over- to her, Grace was an older sister she could always confide in. Both Robin and Regina enjoyed her company, too- she was such a sweet girl. She worked long hours at the hospital, studying under Doctor Whale's watchful eye in hope of becoming a nurse one day.

For the first time since the nine year old had returned form Granny's, Caroline let the encounter with Zelena slip from her mind. Her brother Henry was finally coming home.


	3. Henry's Return

Regina quite liked her job at city hall as the mayor. She was hesitant to accept the position again, since she had two children at home to take care of, but it was an offer she knew she couldn't refuse. Being mayor was something she enjoyed doing. Her mother had forced so many leadership tactics in her head in order for her to become queen one day- Regina couldn't let those skills be put to waste. The intentions of Cora's plans were entirely selfish, but that didn't mean her daughter couldn't make something positive out of it. It was so much easier to rule over a kingdom where everyone treated her like they would anyone else. She had earned their respect, and she couldn't be more grateful for that.

As much as she loved her job, being stuck in an office on a Saturday afternoon wasn't the ideal situation. Especially with the excitement of Henry returning to town. She didn't love the fact that her son was so far away, but she knew she could trust him to make good decisions on his own. Having a child attending university made her feel so old. Much to everyone's surprise, however, Regina really didn't mind getting old- it meant she and Robin spent many happy years together, as well as many more in the future. Seeing her children grow was quite possibly the greatest rewards she could ever think of for being a mother.

Over the years, her office had generally stayed the same. In the days before the curse was broken, she had kept the decorations down to a minimum. She had no reason to do otherwise. In her current age in time, Caroline stopped by the office frequently. A few of her things were still scattered across the room from her last visit. Pictures now lined her walls and her desk, capturing the happy moments of her daughter's first ten years of life.

She was occupied with the task of filing papers for another parking lot that was supposed to start construction in the next week. It had been a long day of contracts and phone calls, something she was used to doing. But with the excitement of her son coming home, it was near impossible for her to focus on anything. She sent the Charmings (and Grace) a text to meet at her house at five, when she got off, but that didn't give her any time to help out or get ready. Henry said he would be there around then if traffic wasn't too bad. Regina knew Caroline was practically bouncing off the walls to see him again; Roland was too, even if he didn't show it. Things had been slow at the animal shelter where Robin worked, so he sent her a text that said he would be closing up early and heading home- that meant Regina was the only one not there.

Her nails tapped against the wood of her desk as she forced herself to concentrate on the paper long enough to slap her signature down at the bottom. After she did so, she glanced back down at her phone to check the time. 4:13. Dreadful.

"Regina?" A small voice from her doors sounded, instantly bringing the mayor's attention to her personal assistant in her doorway. Her name was Penny- Regina quite liked her.

"I can finish things up here if you want to head home. It's no problem."

The brunette smiled softly and shook her head. "No, I could ever ask you to do that for me. I'll be fine- Henry will probably be late getting here anyways."

"Caroline called here about eight times begging me to tell you to come home. I can't just say no to a nine year old."

Regina sighed. "I told her to stop calling you for things. I'm so sorry-"

"No need to apologize," Penny chuckled, "I like talking to her. And, if my son were visiting from Canada, I'd want as much time with him as possible."

After she said that, Regina knew there was no talking her out of it. Penny was just as stubborn as she was. So, she grabbed her purse, her keys, and her coat, abandoning her paperwork without a second thought.

"Thank you so much," she smiled, "I'll owe you coffee for a week- something like that."

There was no way she could object to that offer. "That'd be great. Now go spend time with your family- they need you."

And she knew she was telling the truth. Regina just hoped she would have time to get things ready- anything for her oldest son.

* * *

Sometimes it slipped Snow White's mind that there was a time in her life where she hated her stepmother, wanted her dead, even. Ever since Robin came into the queen's life, her cold outward appearance had dissolved into a woman who was full of love, kindness, and hope. Snow had known all those traits were inside of her from the moment she had met her, even if Cora had done everything in her power to make her her daughter would live a miserable life within castle walls.

But, ten years later, Snow openly invited herself into Regina's house, along with her husband and her daughter, knowing exactly where her spare key was hidden. In just minutes, the quiet white house had transformed into a lively environment- the kitchen was alive with wafting smells and sizzling sounds, the living room filled with laughs and animated conversations.

"Roland, your dumb dog is getting in the way!" Caroline shouted, swiveling the vacuum cleaner around the beagle, who was laying down in the middle of the carpeted floor.

"She's not dumb, she's just half blind, give her some slack." Roland countered, gently picking up the ten year old dog and setting her on the couch.

"How's it going over here?" Snow asked, carrying two cups of hot chocolate in her hands as she assessed the living room.

Caroline smiled with pride. "All vacuumed. Does that mean I get some cocoa?"

"It most certainly does," Snow answered, handing her a cup, "and what about you, Roland?"

The fifteen year old held up the feather duster in the air. "Everything's dusted. Not like there was much dust in this house to begin with; Mom's an obsessive cleaner."

His dry sarcasm always made Snow laugh- most of the time he didn't even try to be funny. But Roland was right, Regina was so acute about making sure everything in her household was perfectly in its place.

"Very true," she admitted, handing him the second cup.

From the kitchen, Emma's phone went off, causing everyone in the house to stop what they were doing and turn their attention towards her. There was a collective gasp hanging still in the air as the blonde quickly read the message. When Emma finished, her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"He'll be here in ten minutes." She announced in a graven tone, glancing up towards her family, "he'll be here in ten minutes. Where the hell is Regina?"

That was a question nobody had an answer for.

"He has to be close to the town line then," Robin said, in the kitchen helping Ruby construct sandwiches as she managed a kettle of soup on the side. Emma, Killian, David, and Will had joined in to make a makeshift assembly line.

"You three want to join in?"

Caroline grabbed Snow's hand and took off towards the kitchen, fishing out a stack of plates from the cupboards and piling sandwiches onto them. It was amusing to see the girl reach so eagerly for each finished sandwich Will handed to her. The nine year old was finally tall enough to see over the countertop- it seemed like just months ago Snow had to lift her up to be able to grab anything from up there.

Everyone was so focused on finishing up the sandwiches, they didn't even notice the door opening behind them. Regina had rushed home as quickly as she could, coincidentally bumping into Grace on the way. The two entered the house, instantly feeling the warm air melt away the cold they had endured through.

"Mom!" Caroline shouted, leaving the job for Snow and Roland to finish so she could run over and give her a hug.

"What's going on in here?"

"Sandwiches!" The girl answered quickly, giving Grace a hug too. Her brother's girlfriend was still in her purple scrubs, with her blonde hair pulled up in a bun and her tired eyes still managing to sparkle with a happy excitement.

"Excited to see your brother?" Grace asked, a playful smile on her face as she admired the girl's enthusiasm.

"Yes! We've spent the entire day getting the house ready."

Regina offered to take Grace's jacket, sticking it in the front closet and evaluating the scene in front of her.

"Seems like you've all been hard at work," she smirked, placing her hands on Roland's shoulders and glancing down at the sandwiches that were beginning to pile up.

Though she had only contacted the Charmings about coming over, Regina knew she would come home to a herd of people. If Emma came, so did Killian. Same with Will and Ruby. But she didn't mind; they were all her family, a huge band of misfits maybe, but family.

"We've got less than ten minutes until he says he's coming," Emma told her, equally as excited as she was to see her son again.

"Then me made it just in time," Grace smiled, "seems like you guys have everything under control here. Did you get that science project finished, Caroline?"

She nodded. "And I got an A on it. Highest grade in the class, right Snow?"

The woman chuckled. "That's the price of having you as one of my students, huh?"

"But we love it," Regina interjected, wrapping her arms around her daughter from behind, "even if there aren't a lot of kids in her class."

They all knew Caroline was somewhat of a shy girl- having five other classmates didn't help in that matter.

"There were only thirteen other kids in mine and Henry's class even we graduated," Grace reassured, "you just have to make due with what you have."

"Isn't that the truth," Will added in when he passed by, carrying silverware in his hands and helping Ruby set the table.

With most all of the work completed, everyone else had began friendly conversations with one another. Regina loved these- simple family gatherings at the house, getting a laugh or two out, forgetting about everything else, just for a moment.

There was then a knock on the door. Everyone stopped their talking and turned their eyes towards the front door, smiles covering all their faces instantly as Henry Mills came walking through the door.

He was just as they all remembered him- tall, just over six foot, with dark eyes, tussled brown hair, and a kind smile. He had a slight shadow of facial hair, though, that was different. But he was still Henry, Regina's little prince, the boy with the heart of the truest believer.

"Hey guys," he smiled, waving toward the crowd of happy faces as his two mothers came to embrace him. "Missed you both, Moms."

Emma promised herself she wouldn't cry, but seeing her son again caused all the memories to come flooding back into her mind, making her so thankful she had him back.

Obviously they all wanted to hear about what he had been up to, but they could wait. Just having Henry back with them was more than enough for the moment.

"Hey buddy," Henry smirked towards his younger brother, who instantly rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"I'm fifteen, you don't have to call me that anymore."

He hugged him anyways. "But it's cool you're back. Nobody around here is as good as Call of Duty like you are."

"We'll have to play sometime soon," Henry chuckled, "but we both know I'll cream you."

There was that ambition Roland had missed so much.

"Henry!" Came Caroline's voice as she bounded towards him, practically jumping into his arms. "I missed you!"

The twenty two year old loved the relationship he shared with his little sister. Like him, she craved adventure, making for great stories that were exchanged between them.

She was a dreamer- full of belief in things unknown, still clinging to the same childlike attributes he had when he first went to find Emma in Boston.

"You're getting taller!" He exclaimed, instantly comparing her current height to when he had last seen her, "it's like you're a little tree- you just keep growing."

Caroline smiled back, some of her top teeth still missing, giving her an even more adorable appearance. "Did you talk like a Canadian yet? I watched a movie at school where these guys said ' _eh'_ after every sentence. Do you do that?"

The seriousness of her question caused Henry to crack up on the spot.

"Not yet. It's a skill that takes practice," he answered, looking up to see the greeting smile of his girlfriend, Grace. Holding his arms out playfully, he hugged her tightly, instantly feeling the peace he had waited months to feel again.

"I've missed you so much, eh?" Henry grinned, causing both his sister and his girlfriend to laugh.

"Oh shut up," Grace muttered, leaning in to place a kiss on his lips.

The next few minutes were filled with more hugs, friendly conversations, and the simple joy of catching up. There was so much to be done in the little amount of time they had with him, but neither of Henry's mothers would trade it for the world. Their family was once again complete; though they all had their pasts, trials, and mistakes, they all had one another- that was a simple gift not everyone in Storybrooke was blessed with.


	4. Proving a Point

It didn't take long for Henry's return to turn into a series of laughs and screams from the front lawn. Snowballs where whizzing from every direction- every once in a while someone would attempt to run across the middle ground, shooting more snowballs towards the opposing team.

Naturally, it had been Caroline who had started the outside war. They were finished looking through Henry's college pictures, and needed something to do. Roland had suggested a movie. So, with Tansformers playing in the living room, the extended family all splayed across the floor, wrapped in blankets and sipping hot cocoa. It was nice at first, the excitement of her big brother being home with them still running through her system, but it didn't take long before the nine year old to become bored. She had no idea what was happening in the movie, nor did she care. Everyone else seemed to be fairly into it- Emma and Killian were both a few feet away from her, their backs against the couch, a bowl of popcorn between them. Snow had her head on Charmimg's shoulder, Ruby was half asleep on Will's chest, and occasionally, her father's hand would trace circles along her mother's back. Grace hadn't left Henry's side for practically the entire night.

Two months- that was how long Henry had been gone for. As relaxing it was to sit back and watch a movie (even if she had no idea what it was about), Caroline wanted to do more interactive things with her brother. Before he left, the two of them would spend hours outside playing random games, always competing with one another for the fun of it. Since Roland almost always refused to do anything with her, sometimes she got lonely.

So, sitting next to her father, the second most competitive man she knew, Caroline quickly struck an idea as she remembered how her conversation went with Zelena at Granny's two days prior.

"Dad," Caroline whispered, tapping his shoulder lightly, "can I ask you something?"

Robin eventually tore his eyes from the screen in front of them and glanced down at her. "Shoot."

A sly but cautious glance fell upon his daughter's face. "Did you really used to be an outlaw like it says in the books?"

The question took a second to register in his mind; but when it did, his first response was to take an offense.

"Well of course I was- you know the stories are true." Robin told her, slightly shocked she would ask such a thing. He was a man of honor; there was a time in history when every single person in his village knew his name. His bravery and skilled excellence with his bow had served him well for many years, before he met Regina. After the series of events that took the fragile family to get where they were currently, Robin was perfectly content on putting the days of thievery behind him and becoming what he was best at- being a dad.

Caroline simply shrugged. "Well I know... But I've never seen you do any of that stuff- not even shoot a bow."

The shock continued to linger on his face. She was right; that was completely unacceptable. There was no possible way his daughter- or any of his children- could carry his last name without knowing what all it was worth.

"Sorry lass," came the voice of Killian beside them, "but the only thing your father excels in is feeding the fish every day down at the store."

His intrusion on their seemingly private conversation caused Robin to scowl.

"I don't remember asking you, pirate," he replied sourly, "and we both know I'm the best archer in this town."

By then, he had attracted some unwanted attention from his guests.

"Come again?" Snow demanded, the movie still playing in front of them, "I didn't practice archery for years in the Enchanted Forest for nothing."

A series of groans emitted from everyone still trying to watch the movie.

"Guys, let's focus on the movie," Roland persisted, already irritated with his family's short attention span.

"No, this is fun," Henry countered, "I missed this so much."

In that moment, Caroline knew she had made a mistake by asking a simple question.

Turning towards his wife, Robin drew in a deep breath- this was more than a point to prove to his daughter- this was a question of honor.

"Regina, where's my bow?"

She responded by a raise of an eyebrow and a stifled laugh. "Sweetheart, it broke, remember? Roland used it for the play he was in at the end of third grade."

Caroline caught a curse word under his breath.

"I- I don't need a bow to show you how good of an aim I have," Robin continued, causing Regina to cringe beside him, "I just need a target of some sort. Then you'll see how great your dad is."

Snow gave a small laugh as she reached for the remote, immediately pausing the movie to cut the background sound.

"You know, Locksley, if you need a target, you can always use me. That is, if you can manage to actually hit me."

"Mom!" Emma protested, knowing their night was going nowhere but south.

Her boyfriend put a hand on her shoulder, a devilish smile on his face. "I've been waiting so long for something like this to happen."

"So you'll fight alongside me, then?" Robin asked, causing an upheaval among his family members.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Ruby asked, speaking for a few others in the room.

The outlaw then stood up in his place in front of the television, sending Snow a challenging look. "A snowball fight, that's what. What do you say Regina, will you be on my team?"

Glancing up at him, she formed a wary smile. "I do love you, but there aren't many chances in life where I can pelt you with snowballs."

He quickly shook away the initial shock and turned towards his brother. "Will?"

The man chuckled. "Sure. Why the hell not."

After everyone else got assigned to a side (some where more reluctant than others), they all made their way outside, where the snow was softly falling onto the already existing three to four feet on the ground.

And that was how the chaos had begun.

"Happy to be home?" Regina asked her son sarcastically, short breathed as she slumped behind the barricade of snow.

Henry skillfully avoided two or three snowballs headed in his direction before answering. "Oh yeah. I missed all my overly competitive fairytale family members," he joked, compacting a snowball of his own and chucking it towards his girlfriend on the other side. Grace dodged it successfully, not hesitating to send one right back to him.

"Well you know how your father gets when he's trying to prove a point," she said matter of factly, peeking around the side of the barricade to choose her next available target- Emma.

Gathering snow in her hands, she whipped around and prepared to launch the snowball in her direction, only to receive a blast of frozen rainwater square in the face.

As Regina wiped the snow off her skin, she heard Emma's victorious laugh from the other side of the yard.

"Hey!" She shouted, her natural queen instincts beginning to kick in. Years of her life had been spent conquering her enemies- she may had been a mother, but some things never changed.

Using her magic to enchant her snowball, Regina sent it whizzing in the savior's direction. Emma was quick to form a shield with her hands out in front of her, causing the snowball to disintegrate before her.

"We said no magic!" Robin demanded, pointing an accusing finger towards his wife and traveling it slowly towards the blonde.

Scooping up a quick snowball, Regina threw it towards him in a swift motion, taking pleasure in seeing it explode on his face and hair.

"Okay then, no magic."

She couldn't contain her competitiveness no matter how hard she tried- the game wasn't ending any time soon.

"Roland! I need another snowball!" He demanded, reaching his hand out as if it were the most important thing in the entire universe.

The fifteen year old sighed; his family was so embarrassing. He and his sister were behind their team's barrier, hurriedly making snowball after snowball as Will, Grace, and Robin kept hurdling them in their opponent's direction. Caroline was fine with this- she'd rather be protected by her teammates than pelted with snowballs. Hearing the unfamiliar sound of a crow, she directed her attention to the grey clouded sky, watching the strange black bird circle around them overhead. Her eyes squinted with confusion for a moment as the odd creature quickly flew away, almost as if it knew she were watching it. Though she was memorized for a second or two, Caroline quickly shook the thought out of her head- it was just a stray crow, nothing more.

But the girl was far from right. Once the crow landed on the ground, out of sight, feathers began to fly every witch way, the creature expanding in size and shifting form. Soon, the crow's feet were replaced by a pair of feet trudging in the snow, its wings melting down into arms and a beak withering away into normal facial features. Within seconds, the animal had transformed into an everyday man walking about on a late winter evening.

"I told you to wait in the car," he spoke, lowering his eyes down to a woman crouching behind a snow bank, binoculars in hand, her red hair pulled back into a bun to keep away from her face.

"I got bored," she replied blandly, in a light accent, not bothering to look away from the sight before her.

The man gave her an irritated glance. "Don't you think this is a tad suspicious? I mean you're out in plain sight-"

"I know what I'm doing, monkey," she sighed, lowering the binoculars and setting them down, picking up a clipboard and a pen.

"One more word from you and I'll turn you back into one. And I know you don't want that."

Walsh forced a scowl off his face. He hated how she treated him like a pet; he was the Wizard of Oz for Heaven's sake, not a monkey, not a playtoy, a once noble man who had made a life for himself in the Emerald City. He hated her- despised her, even. How he had wound up with her in another realm was beyond his understanding.

"They're acting like such fools," Zelena muttered, griping under her breath as she analyzed the names scribbled down on the paper. "Now who the hell is the younger blonde one?"

"Her name is Grace- the Mad Hatter's daughter- she's in a relationship with Henry Mills." Walsh replied as she wrote the name down on the next available space.

There were so many of them- it was confusing to her, just as much as the new realm was.

She picked up the binoculars once again, studying each person engaged in the pointless game of throwing balls of snow very closely- the more she knew about them, the more leverage she had against the woman that made her blood boil. An ample amount of time had been spent studying the woman with brunette hair and darkened features; she was her dear baby sister, the notorious evil queen. This was the first time she had seen her in person. Years and years had been spent on watching her as she grew, the pathetic waste of talent, the juvenile girl who had her life handed to her on a silver plate. Just thinking about her made her jaw clench tightly- seeing her in the flesh, rosy cheeked and roughly engaged in a game of child's play... That made the pit of her stomach ignite with a raging fire.

"My lady, you need to find a way to make contact with the girl again. You don't have much time-"

"I know what I'm doing," Zelena challenged, a smug smile on her face as she changed her view, now directed towards the nine year old in a puffy purple coat. "So sweet, so full of innocence," she mused, a delighted laugh escaping from her mouth.

"This is almost too easy."


	5. Liar Liar

Things had eventually quieted down in the Hood household. It took a good manner of hours for Regina to persuade Robin and Snow to call off their feud; everyone was exhausted, the main cause of their snowball fight becoming blurred. They all called it a night, happy for their bit of fun, going back to their respective houses and immediately drifting off to sleep. It took Robin a good half hour to persuade his daughter to stay in bed, assuring her that her brother would certainly be there when she woke up in the morning. He would be, yes, but Grace wouldn't.

Sometimes it slipped her mind that she wasn't officially a part of their family- though she was treated like one, the college student knew she had a father waiting for her at home.

"Today was the most fun I've had in a long time," Grace smiled, standing in the doorway and retrieving her keys from one of her coat pockets.

Henry grinned. "Yeah, me too. It's great being back home- nothing's changed."

"Guess that means I'll have to come over a lot more often," she teased, "though spending quality time with Regina and your sister is pretty entertaining."

Watching the playfulness shining in her eyes, Henry didn't hesitate to lean forward and capture her lips with his, the sweet taste instantly transporting him back to their high school days, where they would sit in his car after class and simply make out. He loved her just as much as he did back then.

Pulling back for a breath, he took a second to admire her features under the dim porch light. "Can I see you again tomorrow? Maybe... Bring you lunch at work or something?"

He had learned a thing or two about charming a woman from the pirate who dated his mother.

"Yeah, I think so," Grace confirmed, "I'll text you."

As much as she wanted to stay, she knew her papa would start to worry if she didn't return home. Henry sent her a kind smile. "Alright. Have a good night, Grace."

"You too. But you try having some fun with your family tomorrow, especially your brother."

Rolling his eyes, he watched as the lights to her car flickered. "Of course. Now you drive home safe, okay?"

She chuckled softly. "Okay. Bye, Henry."

"Bye, Gracie."

He didn't realize how cold it actually was outside until after his girlfriend had driven away. Shutting the door gently, Henry made his way up the stairs and towards the room he and Roland still shared, delighted to see his mother had made his bed exactly how she used to.

Roland was already passed out, snoring loudly on his side of the room. But Henry didn't care. A minute later he was snoring peacefully on his bed too.

* * *

It was a Sunday morning. As rambunctious as the family was the precious night, the tradition of last Sunday mornings was still something upheld every week. It was the only day that both Regina and Robin had off work. Nobody, not even Regina was up until after nine.

When she did awake, however, she was surprised to hear the voices of her two sons carry up the stairs and into their bedroom. They were having a conversation about something she couldn't quite pick up, but Regina knew exactly what they were doing- playing a video game.

Everything felt so peaceful, as if nothing had changed. Hearing Roland and Henry share an occasional laugh with each other made her smile.

As much as Regina wanted to stay in bed and enjoy the rare simplicity it was to stay in bed with her husband right beside her, she knew life as a mother went on. Letting Robin continue to sleep, she slipped out of bed and traveled downstairs, where she began a simple breakfast of eggs and toast.

Before she knew it, a couple hours had rolled by; her family eventually migrated towards the kitchen where they ate and talked, not a care in the world as they continued to catch up with one another, sharing stories and telling of adventures. It was nice to have their family whole again.

"Do you think Killian and Will would be up for a few drinks?" Henry proposed to his father, putting his empty plate in the sink.

The sudden question put a smile on Robin's face. "Definitely. They're always up for a few rounds."

It was still odd to his parents that he was past the legal drinking age.

"Just don't do anything stupid," Regina sighed, knowing there was no way she could prevent them from going.

"But Henry," came Caroline's voice, still in her pajamas, "I thought we were going to the park today."

His smile faded slightly as he sensed the dismay in her voice.

"I'm sorry, can we reschedule?" Henry asked, in the upmost sincerity, "we've got time."

Caroline wanted to push it, but she knew her brother wanted to spend time with other people too. So she watched him leave with their father, not knowing when they would both return. After cleaning up the kitchen, Regina made herself a cup of coffee, starting a show on tv and curling up on the couch. It was never something she could do, relaxing, so she was going to make it last for as long as possible. Unfortunately, her daughter didn't share her same mindset.

"Can you take me to the park then?" Caroline asked, boredom already clawing at her insides when she saw what show her mother had decided to put on.

Regina sighed heavily. "Sweetheart, you know this is my only day off. And it's cold outside. Can't you play upstairs for a while?"

She was too old to go upstairs and play. And, besides that, Caroline wanted to do something fun; anything but mope around at the house.

"Can Roland take me?"

"Don't know, why don't you ask him."

And she did, but she was met with a closed bedroom door and loud music playing.

She took that as a no.

So she was back downstairs, facing her mother with the same pleading question.

"Can I go by myself at least?"

Giving her daughter an incredulous look, she thought for a moment before replying. After the incident with her falling at Granny's, Regina was hesitant to send her out into the cold alone. But, seeing how passionate she was over going to the park, Regina couldn't possibly refuse.

"Alright, you can go, but only for an hour," she said, her sternness melting away as she reached her arms out towards her. "But first you have to give me a hug."

She gladly did so.

"Now you stay warm, keep your coat on, and don't go anywhere else. And remember to watch your step- we don't need more holes in our jeans."

"I won't, promise!" Caroline reassured, rushing towards the closet to put on her coat and boots.

Not long after, the nine year old was trudging through the freshly fallen snow, headed towards the park that was fairly close to her house. It was such a nice feeling to breathe in the cool frosted air, the numbness to her cheeks, and the slight warmth her jacket and gloves brought to her. Caroline loved being outside, completely uncaged, seeing the snow decorate the town in a white beauty. Still, she felt lonely.

Maybe because she was.

Henry was too caught up with his friends to have time for her; Roland simply didn't want anything to do with her. Her parents both had demanding jobs that kept them occupied, the same went with her other family members.

Caroline scowled down at the stark white snow as she thought about this. She didn't like to feel so alone.

When she got to the deserted playground, she sat herself down on one of the swings and tried to forget the sad feeling she had inside. The ocean was directly in her view, the wind rushing around her as she swung higher and higher, soaring through the clouds; it was easier than she had expected to forget.

Her mother had been right about keeping warm- after a while, the cold seemed to seep through her protective layers and right to her bones. Soon, that was all she could think about. That was, until the distant view of someone walking out of the woods caught her attention.

Curiosity soon sparked within her as Caroline tried to distinguish who it was, the only person that seemed to be out and about on a Sunday afternoon besides her. For a second or two, the girl was stumped. Then she saw the red hair.

She knew exactly who it was.

Zelena, the woman who had shared her cheesecake with her and aided her with her knee, was walking along one of the paths that winded in and out of the forest. The memory struck her, the conversation they had about magic. Zelena had promised her that she would tell her all about the Enchanted Forest, about magic. That was an offer Caroline couldn't refuse.

Slamming her feet down to the ground to act as breaks, she slowed her swinging down until she could safely jump off. Then the nine year old sped towards the woman's direction, leaving no trace that she was ever at the playground.

"Zelena!" She called out towards her, turning her around as she heard her name being said.

Skidding to a stop, Caroline caught her breath for a moment before letting out a weak hello.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Just at the park," the girl shrugged, "what about you?"

Zelena glanced around the snow covered forest and sighed. "Out for a walk. I find that walking does wonders when trying to clear your head. Your town is quite beautiful."

"You should see it during the summer," Caroline told her, "everything turns green and you can go down to the shoreline to swim."

It was strange to think that the tiny, nonexistent town of Storybrooke was all the girl knew.

"Is... Is your mother here with you?" She asked, keeping the smile on her face as she pictured the image of that vile woman in her head.

Thankfully, Caroline shook her head. "No, she didn't want to come. She said I could be here for an hour."

Her smile broadened. Never once did she think it would be this easy to get the child by herself.

"You said you would tell me more about the Enchanted Forest next time we met," she began again, "can you tell me now?"

In all honesty, Zelena hadn't spent much time in that realm; she lived in Oz for most of her years. But that was a topic she was saving for another time.

"Alright then, I'll tell you. You can keep me company on the last half of my walk."

Caroline was more than happy to comply- it didn't occur to her that she had barely met the woman a few days prior. The two of them were side by side, starting down the twisted trail that lead straight into the woods.

"Do they really have ogres?"

Her enthusiasm made Zelena let out a laugh. "How would you know about ogres?"

Sticking her hands into her pockets to keep them warm, Caroline returned her glance back up to her. "My brother Henry has a book. It has a lot of stuff in it- princesses, dragons, knights, an evil queen..."

Zelena stopped paying attention after she heard evil queen, a questioning look on her face.

"What do you know about the evil queen?" She challenged, desiring to know what the naïve little girl knew about the subject.

The question threw her off guard for a moment as she thought of something. "Well, her mother forced her to become queen, and because she was angry, she did some bad things. But then she met her soulmate and she learned how to be good. Then... She became my mom, I guess."

The red-haired woman was so caught up in her thoughts, she almost forgot to look interested in what she was saying.

If only she knew the truth.

Inside, she wanted to pin her roughly against one of the trees and shout at her, telling her that her mother was an ungrateful little bitch who stole everything that was rightfully hers; she wanted to do this until she broke down and cried, pleading with her stop... She could so very easily crush her small body with her magic...

"Did you know the evil queen at all?"

Zelena had to blink a few times when she heard the small voice pop up against her own ranging thoughts. "What was that?"

"I said, did you know the evil queen before she became good," the girl repeated.

Forcing another smile, Zelena shook her head. "No, I didn't."

"Wow! Your necklace is glowing! That's so cool!" Caroline suddenly proclaimed, noticing the green magic swirl in the pendant she wore around her neck.

Clutching the necklace with her hand, Zelena was able to quickly settle down the harrowing magic within. "It harbors my magic,"

She explained, trying to calm herself down, "it's what keeps it safe."

It would take her less than a second to snap the girl's neck. But she needed the power she possessed, and to do that, and needed Caroline alive.

"Wow," she exhaled, "so you can use magic anywhere you go in the Enchanted Forest?"

Their walk was soon becoming agonizingly unbearable.

"Yes, anywhere you go. It's a skill that takes lots of practice, though."

"If I had magic, I wouldn't have to worry about any of my problems," Caroline smiled.

 _Lies_. The girl beside her had endured though nine years of lies.

Luckily, they had arrived at the small clearing at the end of the forest then, saving Zelena from coming up with a response. In front of them stood a farm house that looked seemingly deserted.

"You live here?" Caroline asked, astonishment in her voice, "nobody's lived there for years!"

"Well, I do now," the woman responded nonchalantly, growing tired of the fake smiles and pretended interest.

Her response was soon interrupted by the sound of a yapping dog; seconds later, a small black terrier came bounding up to them.

"You have a dog too?"

Her enthusiasm only grew as she fell to her knees and began to pet the excited animal.

Zelena rolled her eyes as she watched the dog roll around on his back.

"What's his name?"

She sighed irritably- he was supposed to be her apprentice, not some drooling lapdog.

"Walsh."

"That's a funny name for a dog," Caroline replied, giggling when the terrier licked her face. "But I should probably go home now so I'm not late. When can we talk more?"

Zelena smiled smugly. "I'm positive we'll end up bumping into one another soon. Are you sure you know your way back okay?"

Nodding, the girl stood up and wiped her face. "I've been through the forest about a hundred times, I know how to get back home."

"You be careful," she told her, "these woods can be more terrifying than you may think."

With that being said, Caroline started on her way back home, leaving Zelena alone with the yapping black dog. It only took a glare to shut him up. Bending down, she snatched the creature by the scruff of its neck, heading towards the house.

"We've got a lot of work to be getting on with," she said, showing her first genuine smile that day.

The reign of innocence was coming to an end; lies wouldn't keep Regina's family together forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What could Zelena be planning with Caroline?


	6. Striking a Deal

**~The Land of Oz, two weeks prior~**

For the third time that week, she had woken up with a blaring headache and a dazed memory. Her hair had come undone during the events of the precious night; she was exhausted, unmotivated, and frankly, unhappy.

That was the problem with alcohol- it worked for a while to numb the anger, all the pain, but it always wore off. Every time she awoke after excessive drinking, Zelena felt the loneliness return, a reminder that she had absolutely nothing but her own rage to fuel her ambitions. The pain worsened with every time too, the same bitter phrase crossing her mind as she stared blackly up at the grand emerald ceiling- it's just not fair.

Clothes scattered across the floor of her bedroom as midmorning sunlight drifted in through one of the windows, letting in an unwanted light. Walsh, the previous ruler of Oz, had been in her control for years- quite honestly she had forgotten just how many; the years seemed to mix together. With her magic, Zelena could make him do whatever she needed him to do, or rather, be whatever she needed him to be.

She allowed him to touch her whenever she wanted, mostly just when her level of loneliness sunk desperately low. Sure it felt good at the time, but like the alcohol, it only left her with a larger void in her heart than before.

Laying on her bed during mornings like these caused her mind to wander, sometimes back to those childish thoughts she always thoroughly contained; what it would be like for her if she were born with the life she had deserved.

"Do you want me to make breakfast?" Walsh asked, his voice thick with sleep.

Zelena didn't move from her position- she didn't feel like doing anything, especially begin another pointless day. They never did anything interesting, anyways, just creating more potions that never ended up being of any relevance. The magical looking glass she had used for many years wasn't of any relevance to her anymore; ever since her dear sister cast the curse, she could no longer track her whereabouts. And that, of course, only made her blood boil even more.

Feeling his lips at the nape of her neck, Zelena instinctively pushed him away and sat up.

"I don't care what you make, as long as you get me something for my head." She grumbled, holding the bedsheet up against her chest, "how much did I drink last night?"

Searching for his clothes, Walsh smirked with his back towards her. "More than usual. You don't remember?"

Zelena let out another moan. She felt absolutely terrible; nothing seemed pleasing to her anymore.

"Not much," she replied soddenly, "but if you don't hurry up with that medication, I'll turn you into a toad."

Her threat caused a scowl to form on the man's face as he got up and started for the front room. As he walked through the halls, Walsh's heart sank once again when he remembered the time before the wicked witch had ruined his life entirely, when he, an average, everyday man, had constructed the palace himself. He remembered the days of power, though nobody truly knew who he was, he was able to give aid to the people of Oz. And, just like that, it was all gone. Zelena had complete control over him, her magic able to transform into any cruel creature of her desire. He truly hated her; she was the most vile woman he had ever encountered.

It was pure torture passing through the shelves of potions, knowing very well that so many of them could be used to end Zelena's life. But he just couldn't do it- so many years had gone by; Walsh had forgotten who he was.

Finally spotting the elixir he needed, he found a cup and poured the liquid into it, filling the cup until it was full before setting it down in its spot amongst the others. She drank more and more frequently as the days went on.

Zelena was more than happy to rid the pounding in her head, though the relief wasn't immediate like she would've liked it to be. Grudgingly putting on a white blouse and a black skirt, she pulled her hair back into a bun and exited the bedroom.

She rather despised the castle she won over when she took control of Walsh; it was entirely boring to her, the countless rows or magical experiments that lined the shelves only served as a pitiful reminder on how much of a failure she was. All she needed was a way to travel back in time, that was what she had wanted all along. But nothing worked, Zelena was faced with the same result of failure every time. Nobody knew how to do it either; she had traveled to the Enchanted Forest many times in search of someone with the knowledge and power needed to fulfill her desire. Every time, however, she was faced with the same answer.

It simply couldn't happen. It defied the laws of magic.

Out of everything (and everyone) she despised, the one thing Zelena absolutely hated the most was the fact that limitations existed.

"All these experiments are useless," she griped to herself, tempted to use her magic to destroy everything in her path as she had done many times before. Walsh hated when she threw fits, but seeing things break always made her feel better.

"Why do you constantly make these potions anyway?" Zelena demanded further, grabbing the first glass bottle her hand could find and glancing into its contents. "They're nothing but useless."

Seeing the anger flare across her blue eyes, Walsh was quick to snatch it from her grip before it ended up as a mess of glass shards.

"Well, this one is special," he began, in pursuit of calming her down, "this is magic extracted from a powerful sorceress long ago- the Ice Queen."

Much to his relief, the rage had passed. "Ice Queen? I haven't heard her name in years," Zelena said, turning her attention back towards the pale colored liquid inside the vile, "she was quite powerful, wasn't she?"

Walsh had her full attention- that almost never happened. The delight of doing so made a smile form on his lips. "Still is, actually. Rumor has it that Rumplestiltskin has her locked up in a secret cell somewhere in his castle."

Scoffing a laugh, she shook her head. "Doesn't surprise me. That bastard has too many tricks up his sleeve." Suddenly, a thought sparked its way into her mind. "Does that mean she's still there then, in this secret cell of his? Unless she automatically traveled to this new realm Regina sent everyone to with the curse, she should be there."

Walsh shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sure it's possible." He then paused for a moment, reading the incredulous look on her face, knowing exactly what she was thinking about.

"But, my lady, you don't know why Rumple trapped her in there in the first place. She could be incredibly volatile-"

"Oh, of course she will be," Zelena cut him off, "you're not talking me out of this. Don't you see? It's so simple- I can use the shoes to travel there so I can see what she knows about time travel. If she has what I need, I can set her free, and perhaps we can strike some sort of deal."

"But there will be a price for letting her loose," Walsh threatened, "everything could turn into complete madness."

She responded by sending him a wicked smile. "That's the fun of it, my dear."

There was no stopping her now, he knew that very well. Starting for her pair of silver slippers in the corner of the room, Walsh set down the potion and sighed. "So, what, I'm just supposed to sit here and wait for you to return?"

Zelena smirked, putting on the shoes and giving him a pitiful look. "I'll be back for you, don't worry."

Then, with a dual click of her heels, she vanished into thin air.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, Zelena wasn't sure where she was. After years of transporting back and forth to the Enchanted Forest, she knew how the shoes worked- all she had to do was think about the place or person she wanted, and that was it. The room was dimly lit and had a gloomy feel to it; obviously it had been abandoned for many years. Walsh had been right about the room being a prison. She could feel her magic compressed inside of her.

As she walked around, Zelena found herself becoming distracted in the other hidden relics stowed away in the castaway room- Rumple was certainly a man who possessed many secrets.

Glancing around the area for a brief moment quickly told her that the Ice Queen she was in search for wasn't going to be in human form. It was going to take more than she thought to find her. So, she did what she knew best, and used a locator spell. When her magic lead her to an old brass urn, however, Zelena became confused. The most powerful sorceress of the land certainly couldn't have been housed in an oversized drinking cup. She could feel the concentrated magic radiate off the metal as she took hold of the handles, the blue liquid inside shimmering in a very unnatural way. Taking a deep breath, Zelena firmly held her arms as far away from her as possible, dumping the urn upside down and watching the blue liquid splash out and onto the floor. She watched in slight amazement (while keeping her composure) as the liquid began to rise, taking on the form of a human. Her blonde hair was tucked into a braid that ended at her shoulder, a regal blue dress hugging in all the right places. The woman seemed confused at first, but her eyes quickly diverted from her surroundings to fixate on the red haired woman before her.

"You did this?" She asked, giving her a suspicious look, "who are you? Why are you here?"

Zelena gave her a small smile, enough to tell her she wasn't a threat while obtaining her some dominance in the encounter. "I'm Zelena," she began, "from the Land of Oz. I came to ask a few questions."

The Ice Queen crossed her arms. "I've heard about you before, the notorious Wicked Witch of the West," she mused, wondering just how long she had been trapped inside that urn for, "you're saying you came all this way just to ask me a few questions? Rumplestiltskin has this place under thousands of protection spells. How did you get here?"

Zelena gestured down towards her silver shoes. "I can travel anywhere I want with these. Well, within a certain distance. Some realms are just too far away."

Though she seemed impressed with the idea of magical transporting shoes, she knew those shoes didn't have enough power for the both of them to escape the prison.

"Rumple will know you're here," she threatened, "he always knows everything that happens within his castle."

Zelena's smile turned devious. "Of course he would know... Problem is, he isn't here. He, like most everyone else in this realm, was sent to a land without magic just about forty years ago. The Evil Queen cast her curse."

He may have been gone, but the spells preventing her from leaving were still very much in tact.

"Huh," she muttered, "well I won't be too keen on answering any questions you have for me, unless it involves getting me out of this damned place."

"It very well could," Zelena reassured, "let's just talk things through for a bit. Now," she then prepared herself for the question she was about to ask, knowing it would determine whether or not her life would continue on the same excruciating path it was currently taking. "Do you possess the necessary tools to create a portal that can be used for time travel?"

The ice queen smiled proudly. "Yes, in my old castle I do. Where I'm from, Arendale, we have advanced magical studies. What makes you think I'll just give it up for your unknown cause?"

The answer made Zelena's heart trill with excitement- this was her shot at her dream coming true.

"Because I can give you what you want, what everyone wants, really. Power."

The Ice Queen quickly formulated a plan inside of her head- perhaps this Wicked Witch could give her everything she desired.

"I don't just want power," she began, raising her chin a tad higher, "I want the strongest power out there. One that will allow me to rule effortlessly over this realm, as well as many others."

Zelena gave her a smug look. "And what type of power is that?"

"True love," she replied, "a product of true love will give me everything I need. It is extremely rare for a child to be born of true love, but not impossible. If you bring me a child born of true love, I will give you my means of time travel- a resilient heart, true courage, and a brain."

She thought about her proposition for a moment. "Isn't Snow White and Prince Charming's child the product of true love?"

Elsa responded by bending down and picking up the urn that had held her prisoner for those forty years, using her magic to fill it with water, enchanting it to form an image on the surface. Zelena curiously watched as her expression began to shift while glancing down at the urn.

"Yes, Emma Swan is a product of true love," she began, "but she's a grown woman. You could very well kidnap her, but it would be difficult- she has a very large family of very powerful people."

"Are you suggesting I have another option, then?"

Her words hung in the distance between the two women as Elsa continued to look into the urn. Then, surprisingly, an amused smile swept across her face.

"Well; this is certainly a surprise."

Zelena scowled. "What?"

She let out a small chuckle as she once again faced her. "Turns out there is another child born of true love, living in the same realm- one that shares your bloodline."

Zelena's eyes widened. "No... That must be a mistake."

"Do you have any immediate family members?"

She cast her eyes downward, her head swimming with confusion as she spoke the name she dreaded, the name that left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Regina. The Evil Queen... She's my half sister."

Elsa's smile continued to show, amazed at what she was hearing. "Your sister is... Queen Regina? This just keeps getting more and more amusing."

Zelena's scowl deepened, her eyes flashing with anger. "If you're suggesting that Regina has a child born of true love, you're wrong. There is no way in hell that my sister would ever have true love, let alone have a child. It's- it's probably just some bastard-"

"You can deny it all you want, but magic doesn't lie. Regina has a child born of true love; she's young, too. It doesn't matter how it happened, but it did."

Sounds like Regina, Zelena thought to herself, desperately trying to reassure herself, she probably used some spell to give her child special powers.

"So you're saying that I need to bring my own niece back to you in order for you to extract her powers and become all powerful? What about Regina?"

Elsa smirked. "I don't care what you do with her, as long as you bring that child to me."

A rush of pure joy soared through her body. Could it be true, could she achieve everything she ever dreamed of? Abducting her child would certainly bring pain to her dear sister. And, after that, she would finally get to do what she had desired for countless years- time travel. A fresh start. The life she deserved.

"Alright," Zelena announced, a delightful smile on her face, "I'll do it. I'll bring you the child in exchange for time travel. You have my word."

Elsa was happy to hear it. "As you have mine. Though, this isn't the idea situation for me. Since I cannot escape this prison, why don't I just give you the things necessary for time travel right now. That way, when you get a hold of the child, you can find me here in the Enchanted Forest, at a time before I was trapped here- forty years ago."

A cloud of misty blue magic appeared before her, causing a wrapped package to appear in her hands.

"Just open it when you're ready- it'll create a portal." She explained, brushing her open palm over the top of the bundle with her free hand, placing another spell upon it.

"And, in case you get any ideas, it will only allow you to travel back forty years ago. Once you present me with the child, I'll remove the spell so you can use it to your desire."

Presenting the package to her, Zelena gratefully accepted it.

"How will you remember this conversation in the past?"

Elsa simply took her earrings off one by one and handed them to her. "Just show me these. I'll remember everything."

"And where will I know where exactly to find you?"

Remembering the fond memory, the Ice Queen smiled. "I'll be living in my ice castle- shouldn't be that hard to find."

Zelena took a moment to collect her thoughts, sorting out the mission she had just been issued. It all seemed so perfect.

"So, where am I going?" She asked, "where has my sister sent everyone due to her dark curse?"

"Storybrooke, Maine. A land that has recently obtained magic."

A slight relief came over her when she heard this- magic was now involved, meaning Regina didn't stand a chance. "Alright, then. I'll be off to Storybrooke, Maine in search for a niece I didn't know I had, a child that possesses the strongest power imaginable," she explained, mostly to herself for the self satisfaction.

"And you be quick about it," Elsa added, "I can't take another minute of living in this horrible place."

Holding the earrings and the package containing the power of a time travel portal in hand, Zelena gave her new partner another sly look. "And what exactly did you do to get you locked in here for eternity?"

Even she knew no ordinary person was capable of angering Rumplestiltskin that much.

Elsa simply smiled. "That's a story for another time. I'd like to know why you care so much about changing the past, as well."

"You're exactly right," Zelena told her, "we'll save that for another time."

She couldn't wait to return to Walsh and tell him everything that had happened.

With another click of her heels, she traveled back to her Emerald City castle, her heart set on Storybrooke. She would finally be able to carry out the plan she had desired since the day of her birth.

One that would give her the second chance she was entitled to.


	7. The Teenage Life

Storybrooke High was certainly a unique school to attend. Not that any of the students knew any better; it was just hard to life a normal life when every single person knew one another. It was especially hard when everyone knew Roland's mother ruled over the town- that was something that stayed on the fifteen year old like a stamp on his forehead. There was a certain level of greatness he was ordered to carry around with him everywhere he went; when he fell below that standard, it seemed the whole school knew about it.

"I can't believe you failed that test," his best friend, Alex Boyd, stated with a smirk. "Your mom is going to kill you."

Slinging his backpack across his shoulders, Roland sighed. "I didn't fail it, I just..."

"Didn't pass? Anything below a seventy is failing," Alex said, continuing to give him a hard time as they exited the class.

Roland gave her a lopsided smile as he nudged her from her side. "Who cares, I can talk myself out of any sort of punishment my parents have for me."

"What'd you do this time?" A voice came from behind the two friends, one that belonged to a lean, cocky redheaded boy with a face spotted with acne.

He opened the door for them, finally getting out of the school and back outside. They were homeward bound, so tired and exhausted after another day in high school.

"I failed a test in world history, so Alex thinks I'm doomed for life."

Both of his friends exchanged glances with one another and laughed.

"Dude, you're screwed." August said, patting him on the back as they started down the sidewalk.

Roland rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks guys."

Alex and August had been his best friends since they were first placed in school. August was two years older than them, but he still managed to spend most of his time right by their side.

"Hey, wait, don't you have to pick up Caroline today?" Alex asked suddenly, noticing just then that he didn't have to stay for baseball practice.

Roland tonight for a moment, remembering he had to, cringing inside because he really didn't want to do it.

"She can walk herself," he concluded, his laziness winning over, "she's old enough."

Alex gave him a look, reminding herself that her best friends were teenage boys.

"Come on, you know she hates walking by herself!"

"Well, she needs to grow up!"

Letting out a groan, she forced Roland to a stop and turned him around, August finding amusement in the show in front of him. Reluctantly, they walked back to the deserted school, finding the fourth grade classroom on the other side of the building. In normal circumstances, Roland went directly from his last period to the baseball field, where he would stay for another two hours. And since he didn't have his drivers license yet, he either had to walk everywhere or be faced with having a relative drive him. That's what he hated most about being fifteen; the freedom was so close, he could almost taste it.

"You're late again," Caroline muttered, seeing her brother walk through the door almost twenty minutes after the last bell had gone off. She was worried she would have to stay for another half hour and wait for Snow to get out of her meeting in order to take her home.

"I remembered though, didn't I?"

His sister responded with a huff, grabbing her backpack and following them out of the empty room.

They continued on their way outside for the second time, more than ready to go back home.

"I thought you had your motorcycle," Caroline stated towards August.

The seventeen year old gave a sigh. "I do, but the transmission needed to be fixed, so it's in the shop for a couple of days."

She wished Roland could drive her to and from school; walking was always a pain. Never in a million years would their mother let him have a motorcycle, though.

"Well it better be fixed in a couple of days," she began slyly, "you know what's happening next week, right?"

Both Alex and August knew exactly what was happening next week.

"Could it be that someone is turning ten?" Alex asked ambiguously, watching the girl's face light up.

"Yes! Mom is helping me make invitations to pass out soon. Do you guys want me to give you one?"

Before either of them could reply, Roland interjected. "But they already know about it; they're gonna come if you give them an invitation or not."

Once again, Alex scowled. It bothered her how cold he was to his little sister. "I always love getting them," she counteracted, resulting in a victorious smile from Caroline.

"I also expect great presents from you both," she added, "it has to be a surprise."

They then rounded a corner, turning onto the street their large white house resided on.

"Tough luck kid, surprises are hard to come by in a town like this," August said, lowering her spirits lightly, "not when everyone knows each other like the back of their hand. Doesn't mean I won't try, though."

Caroline gave him a long, lingering look before answering. Of course she knew this; but half of her wanted to believe that some things were still unknown.

"I want my party to be the best party in the world," she stated, just as they began down the skinny walkway up to their front door. "Are you two staying over?"

Shrugging, Alex walked through the door Roland held open for her. "I don't have anything else to do."

"Yeah, me too," August said, "my dad doesn't need me to help out at the shop, for once."

They had been over to Roland's vast two story house so much, it was practically their second home. The fact that it was also Mayor Mills's house easily slipped their mind.

"Mom, do you have any snacks?" The fifteen year old asked immediately upon entering the house. Regina went through this routine just about every day; she had about thirty minutes of time to herself when she got home from work, and those thirty minutes were always filled with peace and quiet before her two children came home. This week was different, though, because Henry was with her. They had become lost in a conversation, making it so Regina had nothing to feed her hungry kids.

"Sorry, I lost track of time," she said, giving an apologetic glance to Roland and his friends, "but I can make something quick if you guys don't mind waiting."

Of course the news wasn't the best to hear, but at least he was home.

"We can find something to do," Alex said, "nice to see you by the way Regina."

She smiled. "You too, dear."

"Hey Henry, it's been forever since I've seen you!" August said, noticing him in the living room. "We have so much to talk about after we get out of the movies."

Putting her backpack down, Caroline's attention was quickly grabbed by his last sentence. "Movies? What movie?"

"I don't think it'll be one you'd want to see," Alex told her as nicely as she could, "it's about a bunch of space people that come together to stop an evil guy from taking over the galaxy."

She was right, it was totally something she wouldn't want to see. But, being as stubborn as she was, Caroline wasn't letting go that easy.

"I like space movies," she lied, putting her hands on her hips and looking her brother's friend square in the face. "Can I come?"

Knowing the question was coming, Roland simply groaned. "Caroline, you're not following us everywhere. You gotta let us have our space."

Regina's face scowled when she heard this, seeing her daughter's excitement die out like the flame on a candle. "Be nice to your sister," she ordered, "you two are supposed to be working on getting along better, remember?"

The last thing Roland wanted was a lecture from his mother in front of his friends. Thankfully, she relieved the tension. "But I don't want you seeing a movie like that sweetheart."

Her nine year old gave her a challenging look, but she knew better than to argue with what she had to say.

"Hey, you can hang out with me today," Henry offered, "I've got some time before I have to help Killian with his truck."

Maybe they were right, Caroline thought to herself, maybe her family wanted to spend some time with her after all. Feeling like nobody wanted to spend time with her was the worst feeling in the world- it was good to know that her family came through when she needed them most.


	8. Party Planning

It sounded absolutely formidable, but Caroline secretly couldn't wait until she got to talk with Zelena again. She was so interesting to talk to; in such an uninteresting town, that was saying something. Zelena was also quite odd... There was something off about her. A woman with hair red as fire and a quaint accent that lived in the middle of the forest with her black dog named Walsh- even Caroline and her nine years of life experience knew something was odd about that.

Her time spent with her oldest brother had been fun, but it was always short lived. They had played her favorite board game for a little bit, after Roland and his friends went to the movies. It was a lot of fun to have the old relationship they shared- just the two of them. After Killian called and requested his help, however, Henry was forced to cut the game short and head over to he and Emma's apartment over at Granny's. He offered Caroline the choice of coming with him, but she knew that would mean hanging out at the apartment by herself since Emma was still at work. She supposed she could see if Ruby or Granny weren't too busy while stationed at their jobs, but the nine year old simply didn't feel like it.

Instead, she got out her box of paper and glue sticks and sat herself down at the table, beginning to continue her work on the invitations she needed to pass out for her party. Doing invitations yearly was something Caroline enjoyed doing- she could use her creativity and enjoy herself while doing so. Even though most of her guests consisted of her family, she still made invitations. As far as school friends went, the pickings were very slim. Her mother made it a rule to invite all four of her classmates every year, even if she didn't necessarily like them.

Three of the four students in her fourth grade class had formed a tight friendship with one another- Cody Briar, a sports addicted kid with a loud mouth on him, Rachel Anderson, a girl who sang too much for her own good, and Elyse Myers, who could start lies about anyone in the school with a snap of her fingers. The fourth girl her age was different- for many years, she and Caroline had been the best of friends. They did everything together; Lucy Douglass had been in her life ever since she learned how to talk. Then, at the beginning of the school year, Lucy met a boy- two grades higher than them- that she thought was the cutest boy in the entire town. Soon, he was all she could ever talk about, and that began to bore Caroline to no extent. She had absolutely no interest in boys, for the ones she lived with and the family members she had known far too well. So, in technical terms, they were still best friends- but there was certainly a rift between them that kept on widening.

Caroline certainly wasn't about to invite Lucy's guy friend, no matter how much she wanted her to. It was her party, and it was going to be the best one she ever had. Turning ten was a huge deal.

"How's it going?" Her mother asked, her voice bringing her attention back down to earth, "need some help?"

With her attention averted, Caroline smiled as she sat down next to her. Of course she wanted her help- but she also knew her mother had a fairly big project to finish for her work. Quite honestly, the nine year old was still getting used to her mother being so busy. Until the last year, Regina had stayed home for Caroline, to be there for her and her two boys as they grew up and got older. But Belle, the previous mayor, wanted to spend more time with Rumple after their marriage, and suggested Regina to take her place.

"Granny told your father and I that it was okay to have the party at the diner."

Caroline smiled. "That's better than having it at the house I guess. Can we get tons of balloons like last year?"

Taking an invitation from the box they were in, Regina looked it over, a smile spreading over her face as she read her daughter's handwriting.

"You're going to be ten," she marveled suddenly, "that's double digits! How have you gotten this old?"

As she looked at her, Regina could only see the little girl she used to hold in her arms, with her dark brown tresses and her sweet laugh. Time had passed by so quickly; she was getting to the point where they stopped making cute clothes in her size.

Sometimes it was hard to believe Caroline Grace was the tiny little baby she held for the first time at the diner, though, one thing was still the same- the pair of turquoise earrings.


	9. Not So Little Prince

It was fairly quiet around the house until Roland came back. Caroline had the roadblock of figuring out her math homework, with the help of her father. Through the outside window, she could see that the sun was going down- her brother had been gone with his friends for over three hours. Granted, she knew they probably were taking August's beaten up Jeep, but still- her parents would be mad. It was a school night after all.

And they were. As soon as Roland came through the front door at nine in the evening, Robin and Regina were onto him instantly. Caroline decided to stay back and finish her homework- she had seen her brother get in trouble far too many times for it to be an unnatural thing.

"We told you to be back as soon as the movie was over," Regina said firmly, her hands placed on her hips and Robin's arm around her shoulders.

Roland gulped. "I know, but then Alex's mom invited us to stay over for dinner and I couldn't be rude-"

"You're forgetting that you're fifteen, and we need to know where you are."

Inside, he rolled his eyes. Storybrooke was a pathetically small town he had grown up in- nothing bad was going to happen. He knew everyone and everyone knew him.

Sometimes it was difficult to believe that he had once lived in the Enchanted Forest, being born to a mother that had remained a blank spot in the back of his mind.

"I was just having fun with my friends," he muttered, "I'm sorry."

It was clear that Robin was once again taking Regina's side, knowing to be careful when crossing her in heated situations like this.

"No, sorry isn't going to get you by again," she told him, knowing he still had homework he hadn't been able to finish, "you can't just go around and do whatever you want without us knowing- you're grounded for two weeks."

Roland's mouth opened in shock. "What? Mom, you never grounded Henry for being out late!"

It was Robin's turn to intervene. "Don't you dare brother into this. You need to learn that rules are rules-"

"Oh come on, you never punished him! He would be out for hours, and he would come home to dinner and a bunch of hugs!" Roland dropped his backpack to the floor, realizing he was getting out of hand. But he couldn't help it- the feelings inside had to break out at some point. His blood was surging, mind racing, heart racking against his chest as the words continued to spill out.

"You babied him, you treated him like a perfect human being because he's special. Well I know him a lot better than you guys do, and he's not as perfect as you think he is."

"How dare you bring your older brother into this! Roland, he's in college doing great things with his life, you'll get there someday too-"

Roland refused to listen to her any longer. Henry didn't only have one mother, he had two, the son of both the savior born of true love and the infamous queen who changed so heroically to a life of family and love. His father was Bealfire, son of the great Dark One himself. He was a part of them, intertwined into their happy little family tree. Who was he then? A dumb kid who didn't know who his real mother was.

"Stop it! Just stop it! Henry is a jerk, he's- he's a lair, he lies to you all the time."

Roland couldn't help it, he really couldn't; the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could catch himself. "He's had sex with Grace- in this house, in our room. Doesn't sound perfect to me."

Regina's eyes widened substantially, not sure if she had heard him right.

"What?"

There was no way he could take back what he had said, so Roland figured there was no sense in turning back. "Henry told me. He even kept his condoms underneath his bed."

There was suddenly a sour taste in her mouth as she comprehended what he was saying. Regina had quickly forgotten about giving a punishment to her son.

"Oh my god," she muttered, glancing towards Robin before turning around and starting up the stairs.

As he watched her ascend the staircase, he groaned. "Do you realize what you just did?"

Roland couldn't say a word in reply. He was still angry for one, and he knew Henry was going to murder him alive when he found out. So he pushed past his father with a scowl on his face, figuring there was nothing left to say. At least there was a comfort to knowing that their mother would murder Henry before he had a chance to kill him.

Regina thought she was going to be sick as she rushed into the boys' room, her body beginning to numb as she repeatedly rejected the words Roland put into her mind. Her knees fell to the carpet as she leaned forward, blindly searching underneath Henry's bed until she felt the broken plastic wrapper with her fingers. She almost burst into tears right then and there. For in her hand lay clutched three empty packs of Trojans- Roland was right.

Her breathing was heavy and unrhythmic as she sat up on the carpet floor, pathetically trying stop herself from crying. She didn't know what she was going to do; everything in her life had been suddenly been tossed around in a twister, leaving her scatterbrained. Regina didn't like surprises.

Rushing back down the staircase, she was soon caught in her husband's arms as he attempted to reason things out with her.

"Let's wait until he comes back to talk things out," Robin said, knowing her course of action would include confronting the couple at the fastest possible second.

Attempting to squirm herself out of his grasp, Regina held the torn blue packages so they were in his sight. "Are you not upset about this?

"Of course I am- he's my son. But a calm conversation with them both sounds a lot more reasonable-"

"How many years have you been married to me?" She asked rhetorically, her free hand moving across his chest behind her, finding the tender spot between two of his ribs and pressing. Robin instantly let go of her as he cringed, allowing Regina access to her keys.

"I don't do reasonable."

* * *

About ten minutes later, Regina was on the slush covered road, searching the streets left and right for any signs of Grace. She knew the girl's schedule, so it was just a matter of time before she would be heading home after work. As luck would have it, the blonde was soon spotted exiting the general store, a bag of groceries in her arms. It didn't take Regina long to park and march straight towards her.

"Oh, hi Regina," Grace spoke when she saw her, her friendly smile quickly demolishing when she saw the condom wrappers clutched in her hand. She said a quick but fervent prayer in her heart.

"What... What are you doing here?"

The former queen seemed as flustered as ever. "No, the question is, what have you been doing with my son?" She demanded, not sure if she should yell at her or burst into tears.

Grace swallowed hard as she tried to form an answer in her mind- she knew this would happen sooner or later. "Well, uh, Henry and I both agreed that we were both mature enough to further our relationship-"

"You need to take this," Regina said, cutting her off sharply and holding up a square cardboard box.

The college student's terror continued to show though. "A pregnancy test? I'm not pregnant, Regina."

"You don't know that!" She shouted back at her, grabbing hold of her bag of groceries and dropping it to the ground and out of the way, "you've had sex with my son! I could become a grandmother for Christ's sake!"

Her face was now the color of a tomato. "Look, I would know if I was right now- Regina... I'm sorry we kept it from you. But we're twenty two, we're old enough to make our own decisions." She said, as calmly and nicely as she could.

Letting the test fall from her hand and drop to the ground, Regina closed her eyes and sniffed a couple of times, tears slipping down her cheeks as she stood there pathetically in the middle of the sidewalk for everyone to see.

"Hey, it's okay..." Grace said, stepping forward and embracing the woman in a tight hug.

"He's- he's my baby..." She said, forcing back a sob.

And he will always be! He's just... Growing up."

That made Regina cry even harder; she was squeezing Grace so tightly the poor girl could hardly breathe.

"But I don't want him to grow up! Grace, the world is a scary place! It- it takes innocence and destroys it. And Henry is out there, on the other side of the town line..."

"I know, I know," she soothed, pulling back to look her in the face. "You've raised him so well. He's strong enough to survive out there- deep down, you know that. You also know that I love him so much, and I only want the best for him. You just have to trust that we can make our own decisions."

Regina tried to control her crying, nodding faintly. "I love you too, sweetheart. I want the best for both of you."

They hugged again, this time more gently.

Out of his truck window, (David let him drive his rusty old pickup while he was visiting) Henry saw something he sure wasn't expecting. His mother was hugging his girlfriend in broad daylight. Pulling his truck to the side, he got out and began towards them. When he saw the blue condom wrappers in his mother's hand, however, Henry stopped dead in his tracks. Grace gave him a warning look that revealed it all, but it was already too late. Regina turned around and wiped her tears with the back of her hand, walking towards her son with open arms.

Henry was almost a full six inches taller than him, his arms were strong, yet his heart remained the same- good, true, and full of belief.

"Are... You okay Mom?" He asked, not knowing what to expect. He and Grace always said that the day his mother found out about the condoms would be the day they both died- now that it was happening, he didn't know what to expect.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Regina said softly, letting him hold her, "just... Promise me you'll always be my prince, even if you're not so little anymore."

That made the corners of Henry's mouth turn up into a delicate smile.

"Of course, Mom. I'll always be your prince."


	10. Cracks in the Glass

The ride back to the house was quite possibly the most awkward thing he had ever been through in his life. Henry drove Grace back home, in a hopeful silent apology for what had just happened concerning his mother. It wasn't like he could let her walk after a blowout like that. So, they drove down the road in complete and utter silence, not sure of what to say- what was there to say?

"She... She bought a pregnancy test, Henry. I love your mom, but she's a lunatic."

Instinctively, Henry laughed softly, quickly giving her a sideways glance and forcing himself to shut up.

"This is not funny! She knows we've had sex!"

"Well she's the evil queen! I know she's a little... Extreme."

"Extreme? Yeah, extreme." Grace muttered, "and she's probably going to tell my dad. I can say goodbye to that new phone."

Henry sighed, eyes mesmerized on the road in front of him. "I just want to know how the hell she found out," he said, "Emma and Killian will know too- do you know how awkward that would be? I'm actually looking forward to leaving back for Toronto."

It wasn't only them he was worried about finding out. Both of his mother's practically knew everyone in the town. Awkward wasn't even the beginning of it.

"I don't know," she replied, obviously flustered, "but if Regina tells the entire town about our sex life we may as well just pack our bags and head over to the Enchanted Forest."

Henry hated to see her that upset- he was too. They were young and careless; how stupid were they to believe that nobody would find the wrappers under his bed?

"I mean why not, the Enchanted Forest is where we're all from, right? It's been so long since the curse, I barely even remember living there. We don't belong here, Henry, we're trapped in a town where nobody can leave. I love your mother, and I love you, but I can't imagine being stuck in a town where everyone knows about my personal life. You're so lucky you can just leave whenever you want."

Though he wasn't looking at her, he could sense the emotion in her voice. Grace had a tough day; the hospital was getting stressful with all the new changes to the system. The stress obviously showed in her face- Henry suddenly felt horrible. They had this conversation before, and it never got any easier to talk about.

"Hey, look, I promised you that my mom and I could work something out. There has to be a way to be able to leave without loosing your memories; the only problem is making sure nobody comes in."

They then pulled up to the curb of her house, the towering mansion she shared with her father. Henry stopped the truck and turned to face her.

"You know what my grandpa says all the time... Everything we do comes at a price."

Grace rolled her eyes and took off her seatbelt. "Half of me doesn't even want to go into the real world. I mean as exciting as it is, it's all pretty intimidating. Besides, nothing can ever change the fact that I'm Grace Hatter, daughter of a lonely hat maker once known as the Mad Hatter. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to go back, to see where we used to live and stuff. It would be interesting."

That comment made Henry smile. The memory of the first time they had met still sparked in his mind- she asked to borrow his markers one day in fourth grade, and, well...

The rest was history. She still had the same rich yellow hair that stayed stick straight no matter what she did to it, the same tiny nose and the same identical blue eyes.  
For a moment there, Henry had forgotten that his mother knew about his sex life.

"That's what makes you so interesting," he remarked, sending her a cocky smile, "you're from another realm. I'm just a kid that was put into an orphanage in Phoenix."

That lightened the mood around them. Grace smiled. "We both know you're much more than that. But I better get going Henry, I'll text you later tonight if I'm still alive by then."

She leaned forward and kissed him quickly before unlocking her side of the door and gathering her things.

"Look... I'm sorry you have to go through all of this. When I get to the bottom of what happened, I'll make whoever's responsible pay."

"You sound like your Mom," Grace remarked, "and speaking about your Mom, you better go easy on her. She's had a hard day."

He couldn't imagine how many pregnancy tests she had lying around the house when he arrived home.

After watching his girlfriend walk up to her front door, Henry sat in his truck for a moment. There was only one person he told about him and Grace- and that was because he shared a room with him.

* * *

Caroline was beyond confused as to what had happened. She knew something was up; her mother had vanished in an emotional huff, and her father was acting odd. Roland was angry and locked himself in his room... Again.

"What did Roland do?" The girl asked again, "he hasn't been this mad in forever."

Robin was conflicted. Of course he was mad at Henry for keeping a secret like that, but he also knew he was old enough to make his own decisions. He also had to keep in mind that Regina had been his mother since he was five months old- the thief had been introduced to by the boy when he was twelve.

"Caroline, this has something to do with your other brother."

"Well why can't you tell me?" She demanded, "I can keep a secret. Is he going to jail? Boy, that would be awkward-"

"No, it's not that," Robin sighed, "it's something personal. I can't exactly tell you."

She scowled. Being treated like a kid really got to her nerves. "I'll figure it out, you know."

Robin sure hopes she didn't for at least another ten years.

"You're just going to have to trust me," he explained, "but for now, let's focus on you. Do you still have homework to finish? I can help you."

Nodding reluctantly, Caroline decided to drop the case and come back to it later.

The front door opened about twenty minutes later, revealing Henry, who was beyond done with that day. Outside, the sun had completely vanished from the sky, leaving nothing but bitterness in the air and a light snowfall. Both Caroline and Robin had heard the door open, but Henry was already up the stairs by the time they made it to the front entrance.

There was immediately a sour taste in the back of Robin's mouth- he had a feeling that things wouldn't turn out pretty if Henry knew that it was Roland who had told his secret.

Opening the bedroom door, the fifteen year old was suddenly faced with his irate older brother.

"What the hell?" Henry snapped, grabbing the headphones off his head and throwing them to the side. "You told Mom and Dad about Grace and I? Why?"

Roland gulped down his fear and fished for something to say. "I'm- I'm sorry, it just came out. They were yelling at me and-"

"Dammit!" Henry exclaimed, "you ruined everything! I'm only here for a few days, and this is what you do?"

Standing to his feet, Roland clenched his fists. "Look, I said I was sorry!"

Then, in a flash of pure spite, Henry launched his fist in the direction of his brother's face, punching him in the nose and sending him staggering backwards.

Roland quickly found his footing again; something snapped inside of him, he hit him back with surprising force for a fifteen year old. Baseball really did come in handy.

Henry retaliated his force by grabbing his shoulders and smashing him against the wall, causing pictures to come crashing down.

Hearing the noise, Robin resisted the urge to swear as he rushed upstairs, Caroline following him closely. He came into their bedroom to see his two sons furiously knocking the daylights out of one another. His younger son was still pinned against the wall as Henry repeatedly socked him in the stomach- a trail of blood came from his nose as he struggled to get out of the hold his brother had on him.

Robin was quick to tear them apart. "I know Roland told your secret, but that doesn't mean you have to beat him up!" He shouted, "now what to you two have to say for yourselves?"

Roland was still breathing heavily, but he never once took his eyes off of Henry's. When none of them spoke, their father took matters into his own hands.

"You will not punch each other until one of you gets killed- if you want to do that, get out of this house."

The twenty two year old simply shook his head. "Fine. You're not worth it, anyways."

He turned around after he finished, heading towards the door and exiting without another word.

Wide eyed and slightly terrified, Caroline quickly called after him. "Henry don't go!"

The only reply she got was silence. She quickly rushed after him. "Henry!"

That didn't deter him- he vanished through the front door and continued on his way down the dark street. Caroline wanted to rush after him; she wanted to talk to him, to understand what had happened... But her father was quick to catch her before she could get to the door, leaving her in a blur of tears and confusion.

Her brother had never been violent before; the hate in his eyes had been something she had never seen, not even once.


	11. Love is in the Air

She woke up the next morning to hectic sounds coming from downstairs. It was soon evident why- her clock read seven forty five, which meant she only had a few minutes before she had to leave for school.

Tossing on a fleece top and a pair of jeans, Caroline could only run a brush through her hair before rushing downstairs. Further down the hallway, she could hear her mother busy in the kitchen.

"How come you didn't wake me up?" The girl asked, fetching a plate and dishing up some hashbrowns.

Regina smiled and gave her head a shake. "I did! And then you muttered something and I left. You must've fallen back asleep. Rough night?"

That didn't even begin to explain it. Caroline couldn't let herself sleep without seeing the look of pure hatred in her brother's eyes.

"Yeah, a little bit," she admitted, beginning to pick at her food. "Where's Roland?"

Beside her at the table, her father blew out a sigh. "I've tried to wake him up three times... He won't budge."

"He has to go to school!" Regina told him, "I won't let him miss another day."

Robin gave her a look, trying to come up with a way to talk to her without their daughter hearing.

"He's got, uh..." The outlaw quickly gestured towards his eye, telling his wife that Roland had a dark, ugly bruise around one of his eyes.

'Unfortunately, his gesture wasn't subtle enough for Caroline not to catch.

"Henry hit him that hard?" She exclaimed, shock evident in her voice, "what's he gonna do?"

Regina sighed. "I'll go talk to him- maybe there's something I can do about it."

Before she began down the hallway, she noticed what day it was on the calendar. February fourteenth.

"Oh yeah," she said, a smile forming on her face, "happy Valentine's Day guys."

Caroline hadn't even realized that that day a holiday- every year it signified a week and a half before her birthday came.

Upstairs, Regina gave Roland's door a few hard knocks before announcing her entry into his room. The fifteen year old knew very well that he couldn't fight against his mother, but, the thing was, he was just as stubborn as she. He was still in bed when she walked in; Regina sat down on his bed and glanced at his clock.

"You have about seven minutes before school starts, you know." She said, "and showing up in your pajamas probably isn't the best idea."

He groaned, sitting up to give her a vengeful stare. Robin sure wasn't kidding about the bruising- it was grotesque to say the least, dark shades of brown and purple.

"I seriously don't want to go," he replied, too tired to make his statement more convincing. "I don't want anyone to see me like this."

His mother sighed. "You mean you don't want anyone to know that your brother beat you?"

Roland's face toughened slightly. "And, of course it has to be Valentines Day."

Regina couldn't help but suppress a smile. "Hey, I could try my magic on you and see if I can get rid of that," she encouraged, "nobody needs to know it even happened."

That did sound promising to him. Still, no about of magic could make him feel any less terrible about himself. Henry didn't have a scratch on him- it was almost too easy.

She leaned forward and gently touched the bruise with her index finger, hoping the spell she had in mind would be able to fix it. Thankfully, after a moment of heavy concentration, the blemishes vanished completely from his skin. Smiling at her work,

Regina made a mirror appear in her hands to show him.

"See? All gone. You can go to school and talk to your friends, more importantly, your girl friends-"

"Mom," Roland muttered, "fine I guess I'll go. But don't think taking it away will change what happened."

Regina's smile fell slightly. "I know. But what happened considering Henry is his business- I'll deal with him later. Don't think he hates you though... He was just upset. It's Valentine's Day, you shouldn't have to be sad. If you want to talk to someone, or, or give her something, nothing should hold you back."

Roland sighed. "Whatever. And I'm not going to do anything with Alex, quit holding your breath."

With everything that had occurred with Henry, Regina knew she had to lay down the rules on girls once again. But with Roland, things were different. While Henry was steady dating, Roland was still getting absolutely nowhere with Alex. Not that Regina wanted to force them together, but she wanted her boy to be able to be comfortable around girls and have fun. Not as much fun as Henry was having, of course.

"Hey, I'm sorry he did that to you- you didn't deserve that. But I still love you. I just want you to be safe. Just because your brother is all grown up doesn't mean you have to too. You'll always be my little boy."

Regina didn't mean for all of that to come out so rapidly, but she just couldn't help it. The realization of Henry being an adult hit her like a stone wall- she was getting old, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and the time she had with her children was running slimmer by the day. Every moment counted.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close before he could reply, wanting him to know that she was there for him. The thought of her boys attacking one another like animals made her feel sick inside.

"Now you better get going," she told him, glancing around his closet and getting up to choose a shirt from his selection. "And wear this shirt- I think it looks really good on you."

Roland rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks Mom."

* * *

The car ride was strenuous- they had about three minutes to get there, and they were all crammed in the SUV. Caroline was practically on Regina's lap in the front seat; she was quickly gathering her hair into a ponytail as Robin drove.

"We forgot the invitations!" The girl exclaimed, glancing at the clock every few seconds.

"You're just gonna have to do that tomorrow," Regina told her, finishing off her hair and grabbing her backpack.

"Sorry kids, but you're going to have to run if you want to make it on time."

"Great, thanks Dad," Roland muttered, opening the door and taking off in the direction of the school.

"Have a good day sweetheart," Regina said, tightening her ponytail and watching her run after Roland.

Both parents said nothing until their kids were inside the school- it only took about a minute after that for the bell to ring.

Letting out the air she was holding in, Regina turned her head towards her husband. "We sure haven't been the best parents these past few days."

Robin tried to comfort her. "They made it in time though, that's the important thing," he said, knowing very well that she was talking about Henry. "But let's not worry about that now- it's Valentine's Day, let's do something together. I'll take my beautiful queen out to dinner, some place fancy."

There really was only one fancy place to eat in Storybrooke- not counting Granny's Diner, obviously.

"Well I think you're forgetting that this queen has to go to work," Regina smirked, "we can't all give ourselves holidays."

Robin had taken over the animal shelter shortly after they were married- he had worked there ever since.

"That's completely irrational!" He replied, "today is the day of love!"

She rolled her eyes. "This town still needs a mayor on the day of love. Maybe we can do something after I get back."

Though he wasn't stoked about her job getting in the way of things, Robin had no choice but to drop her off at the office and let her work for the next few hours. Since he didn't need to go in himself, he figured he could spend the day trying to come up with something romantic for the both of them.

* * *

School wasn't the first thing on Roland's mind- it never was, but especially not that particular day. Over the past two days, his life had spiraled into a tangled mess. He didn't know what his punishment would be for getting in that fight with Henry, or more importantly, what the future for the two of them would be. His body was still sore, though no evident bruises were showing.

Valentine's Day was something he wasn't expecting at all; there was suddenly a great amount of stress put on him as he sat there in English class, attempting to do the homework on his desk. It was near impossible, though. Alex was sitting three seats in front of him, a clear view from where he was sitting.

Roland was conflicted- he had been for years now. Of course a part of him wanted to believe that Alex could be something more than just a friend. But there were so many risks that came with it. What if they didn't work out, for whatever reason, and Roland had to spend the rest of his life being awkward around her? What if she didn't even like him?

He didn't know the first thing that came with the word girlfriend- the only thing he had to go off of was his family.

Roland didn't know if growing up was a blessing or a curse. He and Alex had grown up together; they had been inseparable since they were four. There was nothing in their way- they were simply best friends. Then, just like that, something clicked in his head, something that made him realize that Alex was drop dead gorgeous. After that, everything seemed to change for him. He started getting nervous around her. Their handouts became more and more stressful as he fought the thoughts in his head. In order to finally get over it, Roland knew he had to tell her how he felt. Then maybe, just maybe, she would tell him she felt the same exact way.

When the bell finally rang, he was the first one to get up and start for the door. That was it, he had decided, no holding back now- it was Valentine's Day, after all. After seeing everyone in his school carry around boxes of chocolates and gawking at love notes, Roland was sick of the whole romance thing.

"Hey Alex," he said once they got out of the classroom, swallowing down his fear and standing tall. It was pathetic, but he had come up with a note on the back page of his spiral that said what he truly thought about her- it was currently crumpled in his palm, hidden away from her view. "I have something to tell you."

She was wearing a long sleeved shirt with the school's logo printed across the front, along with jeans and her favorite pair of white converse. Roland had no idea how it was possible, but even when she didn't try on her appearance like most girls, she still looked absolutely beautiful.

"Sure, what is it? I actually have something to tell you too," She asked, her smile practically melting him on the spot.

Roland felt the paper in his palm; all he had to do was give it to her. But his mind simply wouldn't allow it. In a panic, he hastily changed his plan to buy him more time.

"What... What did you want to say?"

Unzipping her backpack, Alex pulled out nothing other than a rose.

"So you know that guy, Brandt Morris?"

Roland's blood froze in his veins.

"Yeah... I know him."

"Well," she continued, a folly smile on her face, "he gave me this and said he wanted to take me out on a date!"

He had stopped listening to what she was saying; a surprising surge of anger had taken control of his senses.

"Brant Morris is two years older than you," Roland said, "why would a senior ask you on a date?"

Apparently he must've said that wrong, because Alex's smile quickly vaporized.

"I- I don't know, I mean I've never talked to him before today. What did you want to tell me?"

It was all a joke. Roland didn't know what he did to deserve such a horrible life.

"Nothing important," he told her, realizing that he simply didn't care anymore, "happy Valentine's Day."

All the hope he had gathered throughout the day was suddenly smashed into a million pieces. Roland trudged down the hallway and through the door that lead outside, not even giving a second thought to the fact that he was supposed to meet up with August. He was about to start on the walk home when a car honked in front of him. Glancing up, he saw a yellow bug parked a few feet away from him, his sister already in the passenger seat.

"Hey kid, how was school?" Emma Swan asked, cranking up her car again once he was in.

"Fine I guess," he muttered.

Emma could tell he didn't want to talk.

"All we did today was eat candy and make cards for each other," Caroline said, sticking a stick of fun dip back into her mouth. "It was great! Lucy and I had fun."

"That's great!" Emma replied, "she bought about four bags of candy last night- Killian and I had a fun time eating it."

Caroline put on her seatbelt and offered her a snickers bar, noticing something different about the blonde. Around her neck, she spotted a necklace with an anchor on it- in the middle of it lay a sparking opal stone.

"Emma!" The girl exclaimed, "Killian gave that to you?"

She nodded, not having to look down to know what she was talking about.

"Did he propose too? Are you getting married?"

That time, Emma didn't hesitate to take her eyes off the road to give the girl a surprised look.

"What? No! It was just a Valentine's Day thing."

Caroline scowled. "Well why not? If you both love each other, shouldn't you get married?"

"Weddings are way too much work!" Emma defended, "and we're fine the way we are now- Killian doesn't want to get married, I don't want to get married, but we love each other. It all works out."

Her words were doing little to convince Caroline. "Nobody ever gets married in this town," she muttered, "can you guys at least have a baby then? I want a little cousin."

Chuckling, the blonde shook her head. "Why would we need our own baby when we have you two? I was there the day you were born," -quite literally, she failed to note- "and I've seen you grow up. You're practically my daughter. Same with you Roland."

The fifteen year old was hardly tuning into the conversation. "I highly doubt you were there the day I was born," he remarked flatly.

Emma rolled her eyes, unsure on how to reply to that comment. "True, but that doesn't mean we don't love you. Need I remind you that I spent twenty eight years away from my family."

Roland had to restrain himself him saying anything more. Emma Swan had a perfect life and a perfect boyfriend- he was just a fifteen year old kid who had no idea what he was doing.

There was an awkward silence in the bug, one that Caroline didn't want to be a part of.

"So what did Henry do for Paige?" She asked, sticking her candy wrapper in her backpack.

"They obviously did stuff together, so why does it matter?" Roland intervened, wanting nothing more than to just get home.

"Hey, you be nice," Emma shot back to him, "a benefit to technically being your mom is being able to technically yell at you. So watch it."

Roland responded with a groan as he slumped back in his seat.

"Um, I'm not really sure. He's been staying over at your uncle Will's house since yesterday." Emma said, replying to Caroline's question.

Whatever they did, she knew it probably would still be awkward for them. Roland couldn't have picked a better time to tell that secret.

"Oh," she sighed, slightly disappointed Emma didn't know about his current situation. Ever since he left her house in an angry fury, she hadn't been able to think straight. She had to know the Henry she knew and loved was still there.

"But I'm sure he did something nice for her," Emma reassured, "I'll try calling him later tonight."

They arrived at their massive white house; the bug slowed to a stop just as more snow began to fall from the pasty white sky.

"Now you be sure to tell your parents happy Valentine's Day."

Caroline put on her jacket again and handed Emma another piece of candy. "You can give that to Killian."

Emma smiled. "Will do, kid. This cab driver has to get home. I have a present I still need to buy for a certain birthday girl."

Opening the door, Caroline gave her a grin. "Can't wait!"

She was quick to start on the narrow pathway towards home. Roland followed her a moment later, though he didn't get very far before Emma called him back.

"What's your deal today Roland?" She asked, "you look like someone ran over your dog. Was Valentine's Day really that awful for you?"

His eyes remained glued to the sidewalk.

"Look, I know you're mad about the whole thing with Henry," she said, softening up a bit, "and you have every right to be. That's just what guys do- they beat each other up and then all their problems are sorted out. He'll come around, I promise. Until then, you don't need to be taking out everything on your sister. You shouldn't take her for granted, because one day she'll be grown up. Family always sticks together, no matter what."

Roland sighed. "I know. I try, but nothing ever seems to work out the way I want it to."

Swinging her keys with her finger, Emma smiled. "Yeah, that's called life. I remember what it was like to be fifteen. It sucked."

If only she could've seen the bruise her son had left on him.

"Just promise me you'll be nicer to your sister, okay? Her birthday is coming up, after all."

For the first time in days, Roland actually felt better about himself. "I'll try. Things are getting pretty hectic around here with that coming up."

"Always is," Emma replied, "you better get going though. Your mom must be getting dinner ready at this point."

He turned towards the front door, seeing it was still open from when Caroline walked in.

"You're probably right. See you at the party."

"See you there, kid."

Roland was more than eager to enter the warmth and comfort of his house. He could smell something cooking in the kitchen, though he was more interested in getting back in his bed. Climbing the stairs, the fifteen year old was surprised to see Caroline sitting at the top of the staircase, facing sideways so her legs hung loosely between the rails.

"What the heck are you doing?" He asked, noticing her perplexed expression.

Instead of responding, she motioned for him to get down to her level.

"They're mad about something," she whispered, sounding slightly frantic.

Roland didn't get what the big deal was. "How do you know? They're probably just talking about something."

Just seconds later, they both heard the loud, echoing sound of their mother shouting fill the empty hallways. It was obvious she wasn't just mad- she was fuming. Regina rarely got that mad at her spouse; Roland got comfortable beside his sister and began to listen in on their conversation.

"I don't see what the problem is," Robin told her, "we can just go out tonight, then you and I can finally have some alone time. The kids are old enough to make due on their own."

"You're not getting it!" Regina responded irritably, "obviously we haven't done a good enough job at spending time with our kids and teaching them right from wrong- I can't just go on with my life knowing that my sons hate each other. And then there's

Caroline, who's having a birthday in fifteen days-"

"That doesn't mean we can't go out and enjoy ourselves for one night! I'm starting to think you don't want to do anything with me."

She paused her pacing to turn around and face him. "That's not what I'm saying at all! Robin, I love you, I really do, but you don't seem to mind the fact that our son has done... Grown up things."

Robin wasn't in the mood to bring up that conversation again. "I don't see why you don't trust him to make decisions on his own."

"He's not old enough! There's so many things he needs to do with his life before he can start thinking about marriage, a family-"

"He's twenty two!" Robin cut her off, his voice raising substantially, "why does he have to wait? We didn't!"

His words attacked her with a force she didn't think was possible. A dagger may have been placed at her throat. It was a rarity, but Robin actually stunned the Evil Queen.

"Well if you want to things with me you may want to try being less of an ass," Regina replied, fighting to keep tears from glazing over her eyes.

"I want to give all three of my kids everything I was never able to have. Since when is that a bad thing?"

Robin wasn't the type of man man that lost his temper regularly. On the contrary, he was always calm, level headed, and constant- a rock for Regina, someone who could control the madwoman she was.

Once he saw the damage he had caused, Robin immediately let up on his force.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I know you've had a long day-"

"Yeah," she replied, in such a weak voice it came out in barely a whisper. "Happy Valentine's Day, Robin."

She started for the den before her husband could say a word more, leaving him alone in the kitchen.

The next time Roland glanced at his sister, he saw tears on her face.

"It's going to be okay, they always work these things out," he said, remembering Emma's words in his head.

"Things are not okay! Everything is awful!" She exclaimed, "they're not supposed to fight!"

Roland didn't know what to say. He watched as she got up and took off down the stairs, headed for the door again.

"Where are you going?" He called after her, with no response.

Caroline took off down the pathway again; this time, nobody was there to stop her.


	12. Where to Go

In the reflection of her mirror, Zelena smiled at her work. She absolutely loved the fashion market of that world was something she quickly fell in love with- being beautiful was effortless.

Her hair was done in an array of tight curls that fell past her shoulders, a look quite different from her days in the Enchanted Forest. She remembered very clearly how much her father had disdained her red hair, hair that always ended up in a tangled, frizzy mess.

"You do look beautiful, my queen." Walsh said from behind, causing her smile broaden. She knew there was a reason she brought him with her to Storybrooke.

"Thank you," she replied dryly, putting on the blue earrings Elsa had given her.

After looking through endless magazines, Zelena concluded that the popular fashion wear in the realm she was in was something as simple as blue jeans. Sure she was skeptical at first, but they did look nice- they were comfortable, and she liked the way she looked in them.

"I could get used to living in a realm like this," she remarked, straightening her blouse and giving herself another look in the mirror. This time, however, Zelena noticed something odd- in the top corner, she saw ice forming. In just a few seconds, her vanity mirror was covered in a thin layer of frost. Then, her reflection changed, transforming into a woman with a blonde braid tossed over her shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" Zelena asked, standing up and giving her a surprised look.

"What is taking you so bloody long?" Elsa replied, "it doesn't take seven days to take a child. We have a deal!"

Zelena rolled her eyes. "I'm working on it, alright? You said I could have revenge on my sister, too, don't forget that."

Elsa glared towards her. "Not if it takes you this long! Every day I spend rotting in this prison is a day of pure hell. If you want that time travel device, you better bring me that girl. Understand?"

Zelena didn't even get a chance to reply before the mirror burst into a million pieces. When the Wicked Witch dared to open her eyes, she saw nothing but a blank wall. After examining the shards scattering the floor, Zelena smirked.

"I didn't realize she was such an impatient little bitch when I made that deal with her."

Walsh gave her a look. "Shouldn't you heed to her words? She is the one person that can give you what you want."

"Do you... Actually think she's more powerful than me?" Zelena questioned, raising an eyebrow towards him. "I am the most powerful queen in all the realms! Forget about Regina, and that damned Ice Queen! They will fear my power!"

She was shouting then, wanting nothing more than to scream those words at the top of her lungs. In the midst of all her gathered anger, there was was a sudden awkward silence that occurred when the sound of the doorbell pierced through the house.

"Now who the hell is that?" She demanded, glaring as she started for the door. With a quick flick of her hand, Walsh transformed back into a black terrier. Zelena then opened the door, revealing none other than Caroline Hood, her eyes puffy from crying.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her harsh expression softening.

Instead of responding, Caroline simply stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist, hugging her as tightly as she could and burying her face in her blouse.

Zelena's eyes widened as she glanced down at the girl, not knowing how to respond to such an intrusion of personal space. She was squeezing her so tightly, she could barely breathe. A few more extremely awkward seconds ticked by, the sound of her crying filling the empty space. Zelena had to fight against her wits as to not wrenching her off her and shoving her back out of the door. But if she wanted her plan to work, she knew she had to keep the act going.

"What happened?" She asked, "and why are you here so late? It isn't safe for you to be out here in the woods with the sun going down."

After a few failed attempts to get rid of her tears and her sniffles, Caroline loosened her grip on Zelena and wiped her eyes.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I just didn't know where to go..." She told her, "my family is falling apart. My brothers hate each other, and I guess now my parents hate each other too. I guess that means they all hate me too.."

Zelena gave the girl a long, sympathetic look before answering. There was something familiar laced in her sorrowful brown eyes.

"How can anyone possibly hate you?" She asked, taking her hand and inviting her into the house. "Nobody can hate you. You're the sweetest girl I know."

Well, the only girl she knew.

"I just hate fighting," Caroline sighed, "I- I saw Henry beating up Roland yesterday. He hurt him... I didn't think my big brother could hurt anyone."

Zelena then offered her a seat on her couch, sitting down next to her while trying to come up with some false hope to give to the child. She knew that was what she needed- a little bit of false hope, to make her believe yet again that the world was a happy, welcoming place.

The witch had wished someone could have been there to give her some when she needed it.

"Everyone gets angry, dear," she said in a sigh, "but that doesn't change the fact that they all love you. I think you should tell your parents how you feel- that ought to change a few things."

Caroline once again wiped her eyes. "I- I don't know, I've just never seen my brother do anything like that before. I don't even know what Roland said! Nobody ever tells me anything. And I tried to be happy because it's Valentine's Day and you're supposed to be, but it's way too hard! The whole Roland and Henry thing made my parents yell to each other, on the day you're supposed to tell each other that you love them. I just got scared, and sad... And I knew if I went to Emma's or Charming's or Ruby's houses they would tell my mom. You're the only person she doesn't know."

That was ironic, to say the least.

She broke down into another wave of tears and sniffles after that; all Zelena could do was awkwardly place her hand between her shoulders to console her. Something had to be done.

"Name one thing that'll make you feel better," she told her, "and that's what we'll do. Anything at all."

The sudden question stumped the nine year old for a few seconds.

"Um... Hot chocolate, maybe." Caroline said softly, "that always makes me feel better."

Zelena had no idea what hot chocolate was. "I don't think I have that here. I have tea, do you like tea?"

The girl simply shook her head. Her mother drank it on occasion, but she never did.

"I can make coffee," Zelena said, in a last attempt, "but I don't think girls your age drink that stuff."

"We could go out and buy some at the store," Caroline suggested, "then you can try it yourself. It's really good with cinnamon in it."

As she thought about the proposition for a moment, Zelena's eyes drifted down towards the eyes of the black terrier; even though Walsh was a dog, she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

"Alright then, I suppose we could go."

The excitement of the trip almost made Caroline forget her sadness. Zelena led her to the vehicle parked in her driveway, a rusted old two door sedan. It had come with the house, probably belonging to the previous owners.

"Do you, uh, know how to drive a car?"

Before she could answer, she used magic to shut the front door so the terrier wouldn't follow them outside.

"Not really," Zelena admitted, "but who needs magic to drive a car when you have magic?"

Caroline didn't know about how safe she felt due to that statement, but she went ahead and got into the car anyways. After getting in herself, Zelena used the first spell she could think of to enchant the car. It started with a soft hum just seconds later. She wasn't subtle about her successful smile as the car began down the long and windy pathway that lead out of the woods. Once they entered their first real road, Caroline started to give her directions, which seemed slightly funny to her- nobody ever needed directions in Storybrooke.

"It's about three more minutes of driving after you turn left up here- and slow down too, you're not supposed to go that fast."

The speedometer was pushing forty five. Zelena simply waved her hand again to slow it down.

"My Mom has magic, but she doesn't use it to drive her car," Caroline noted.

Inside, Zelena laughed. She was such an amateur when it came to magic.

"Well this way, we can get there faster and easier," she explained, in a rather effortless tone.

It would have been easy for the nine year old to say otherwise, but she didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble. So they continued towards the grocery store in silence, the old, battered car making its way into the parking lot within the next minute.

"Just park between the lines," the girl explained, "and stop when you get close to the parking block."

She sounded just like her mother- Robin still forgot from time to time.

"Stop stop!" She shouted, right before the front wheels hit the cement block. Zelena took the enchantment off the car, causing all motion to stop. There was a bit of terror in her eyes due to the urgency of Caroline's voice.

The whole situation was a tad annoying to her- all she had to do was slam on the brakes.

"That's the parking block," she said, getting out and showing her, "you're not supposed to hit it."

Zelena had to fight herself from rolling her eyes. Who needed cars and parking blocks when she had a broomstick?

"I'll keep that in mind next time," she replied dryly, just as Caroline took her hand and pulled her into the store with her.

"I'll show you where the hot cocoa packets are- there's all different kinds, but my favorite one has a picture of a mountain on the front."

There were so many bloody things in that store. Everything anybody might need- clothes, house decorations, candles, thank you cards, games, books, pregnancy tests... Everything. Zelena couldn't stop herself from looking around in wonder as the girl tugged her clear across the store towards the food section.

"Here they are!" Caroline announced, standing before a whole two shelves stocked full of hot chocolate. She picked out a box of her favorite kind and handed them to Zelena

"Now all we have to do is pay for it- you have money, right? Because I don't."

The woman unzipped her purse and pulled out about three hundred dollar bills.

"Yes, I have money. I'm assuming this would cover it."

Caroline's eyes widened. "Yeah... That definitely will."

They made their way back to the front of the store, where Tom Clark was the cashier. Zelena handed him the money and took the box before he could put it into a bag, immediately starting off towards the doors.

"Uh, ma'm, your change?"

Zelena turned around and gave him a confused look. "I don't want it."

Before he could pocket the money, Caroline swiped the money off the table and smiled. "I guess I'll take it then."

The car ride home wasn't nearly as painful as the ride there. Zelena had the nine year old safely back to her house, where Walsh was waiting at the front door to say hello.

Caroline dug around the kitchen for two glass mugs; when she found some, she used the instructions on the back of the box to complete the task, telling Zelena as she did each step.

"Then you pour in the powder, stir it a little, and add in the cinnamon."

She reached inside the cabinet above her on the tips of her toes, grabbing the cinnamon and giving each mug a few douses.

"And that's it! There's a lot of extra packets in here that you can save for later."

Zelena noticed how her mood had remarkably changed from the past hour.

"Great! Now Walsh and I can have some whenever we want."

Caroline giggled as she handed the woman her mug. "Dogs don't drink cocoa."

They sat down on the couch again, mugs between their palms as they waited for it to cool.

"It's really hot, so be careful when you take a sip."

Gazing down at the swirling brown and white mixture, Zelena wondered why in the world anyone would want to consume such a piping hot drink. After all, there was the possibility of burning oneself.

But she watched in slight surprise as Caroline gently took a sip out of her mug- there was no evident pain in her expression, just a small smile as she swallowed.

"It's really good- try some!"

She obeyed, taking the smallest sip she possibly could, waiting for some sort of pain to arise. It came as a shock to her that absolutely mine came- and it did taste good.

The warmth seemed to travel right into her core, making the outside chill dissipate almost instantly.

"It is good," Zelena agreed, realizing that she didn't have to force a smile for that statement.

The girl smiled back. She wished things could stay that happy forever. But it couldn't- her family was still fighting and she was still scared. No amount of cocoa with cinnamon could change that.

"I know a boy, in sixth grade, that has to live with only one of his parents. Emma had to do a case about it a couple months ago." Caroline began, her voice sounding slightly shy.

"His parents hated each other so much, they didn't want to be married with each other anymore. So now, he has to live with them both separately. Do... Do you think that's what my parents will do, get a divorce?"

The question hung unanswered in the air. Zelena couldn't get over how ridiculous the question sounded- Robin and Regina, getting a divorce. She had only been in the town for a few weeks, yet she saw firsthand how nauseatingly in love the two of them were. She wasn't stupid- she knew the truth about the pixie dust, and the fact that they were soulmates. Her magic mirror had shown her the entire scene, and how foolish Regina was for running away.

"No, absolutely not," Zelena told her, her stomach clenching tightly as she spoke such evil words. "Your parents love each other, that's why they had you, isn't it?"

All Caroline could do was shrug. "I guess so. I just wish they didn't have to fight. They never fight."

That comment made Zelena feel like throwing her glass at her already broken mirror. How dare she say such a thing- the naïve girl had no idea what she was talking about. Zelena had to endure years upon years of listening to her parents scream at each other into the late hours of the night. Her father would always storm out of the house and return hours later in a drunken stupor, almost always still raging mad. He had been such a violent drunk. Zelena remembered quite clearly what it was like to hide underneath her blankets and listen to them shout at one another; sometimes her father would strike her mother, and her cries would replace her shouts. Then he would always break things- find whatever he could get his hands on and smash it to bits, almost always storming into her bedroom afterwards and demanding she clean it up. Zelena never knew why her mother continued to stay with such an awful man, even until her death. Years later she realized why; it had been for her. Adults were stupid- they had children with horrible men, and were forced into raising a child they probably didn't even want. They never learned.

"You should be grateful to have the family you have," Zelena began, her thoughts angrily repeating themselves into her head, uncontrollably, "you have a mother, a father, and two brothers; you have an uncle, you have Emma and her pirate boyfriend, you have the Charmings, and you basically have everyone else in this bloody town! They all love you! Why can't you see that?"

She realized that she was talking louder than she had intended herself to, for Caroline had a bewildered look on her face as she stared back at her. Her now abandoned cocoa was cooling rapidly in between her hands.

"I... I guess I didn't realize..."

Zelena had no intentions of saying anything more. She knew she could never understand the hardships she went through- she was a princess after all, a rightful heir to whatever Regina had in store for her.

"My father told me one thing that always stayed with me," she finished, "he said whatever you may feel inside, always remember to put on a good face. Everything will work itself out just like it should, just remember that you come from a royal family, and you have an image to uphold. Can you do that?"

Caroline thought for a moment. She wasn't that great at concealing her feelings.

"I can try," she admitted, finishing off the rest of her cocoa and setting her mug down. Looking outside, she saw it was almost dark- she wondered if anyone was out looking for her.

"But I really should get going. Thanks for making me feel better," Caroline said, giving Walsh one last pet down before getting up and putting on her coat.

"Are you sure you can make it there alright?"

She sounded as if Caroline didn't know those woods like the back of her hand. Light or dark, rain or shine, there was simply no place like home.


	13. Finding Caroline

At first, he didn't think it was a big deal.

Caroline wandered around Storybrooke all the time- she knew where she was going, and she knew she couldn't pass the line. It was obvious in his mind that she either went to Emma or Ruby's apartment, Will's house, or the Charming's loft. But, when all of his phone calls ran cold, Roland began to get worried. The thought of going out there to look for her grew more and more intensely in his mind, almost making him forget about the incident earlier with Alex. He was currently locked away in his room, not wanting to chance being questioned by his parents. After the fight they had, Roland wanted nothing less than to awkwardly get in the way of things between them.

As far as Robin and Regina knew, Caroline was safe and sound back at the house with him- if they knew she was out there somewhere, roaming the streets all by herself, they would practically throw another fit. The less they knew the better. All Roland had to do was find her and bring her back before they noticed- he was surprised neither of them had come to check on them already.

Glancing down irritably at his phone, Roland scanned his options in his head. If he was going to sneak out and look for her, he knew there was no way he could do it alone- not if he wanted to keep it a secret from his parents. There was only one other option.

He was still mad at him, nothing except time could change that. Nevertheless, Roland knew he had to suck it up, even if it were for only one night.

"Please pick up..." He muttered, tapping his phone with his fingers impatiently as it continued to ring. By some miracle, he did.

"Roland? What do you-"

"Caroline's missing again," he interrupted his brother, putting it out there, "I- she just got upset and walked out. I called practically everybody, and she's not anywhere-"

"Why didn't you just go after her?" Henry asked, currently situated on Will's couch.

"Because Mom and Dad were yelling at each other, and I can't let them know she's gone. I'm surprised they didn't notice her leave- she's good at that though, slipping out of places without being seen."

He could hear Henry groan on the other side of the phone line. "Alright, well I guess I'll have to come get you in the truck since you can't drive by yourself yet. We can drive around and see where she could've done off to."

"It would be faster if we could split up," Roland reasoned, "we both know I can drive fine on my own."

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, but not legally- you don't have a license."

That he didn't want to be reminded of.

"Fine. Whatever. I just have to get out without Mom and Dad knowing. From what I collected Mom is still locking herself away in the study and Dad is outside hacking wood into pieces. Their fight was pretty intense."

Somehow, the twenty two year old knew what they had been fighting over- him.

"Sounds like it," he signed, glancing over his shoulder, "look- just climb out the window or something. I'll drive over and pick you up, and we can get our sister back in no time."

With all the positivity Roland had gotten from him, he almost forgot about all the hateful things he had said just a few days prior. Here Henry was, his big brother, going out of his way to make sure Caroline was safe back home. Maybe he wasn't such a self entitled prince after all.

* * *

The silence was starting to get to her. She had told herself that it would be a fast and easy walk home, but that soon was compromised. The woods were completely dark, and even she had to admit that she was a little bit scared. She didn't like to go out in the dark by herself- Henry used to take her out there to watch the stars where the branches didn't cover up the sky. This time, however, when Caroline looked up, she only saw darkness. She knew she wasn't going home her usual way; somehow she must've fallen off the trail she always took. There was no way she could get lost in Storybrooke- she knew she would eventually find the road if she kept on walking.

But she was exhausted. All she wanted was to get into her bed and sleep for the rest of the night. The only sounds came from her constant footsteps and her slightly rugged breath. It was colder than she had expected it to be- and why wouldn't it be, it was the end of February. The warmth of the hot chocolate had long since worn off.

She could see a pair of headlights off in the distance, meaning she had finally made it out of the woods. There was a huge sense of relief to finally setting foot on the road. She knew where she was again, and she was off towards the direction of home.

Looking behind her, Caroline could see the bold orange line going across the road. Oftentimes, she wondered what her life would be like if she didn't have any memories as to where she came from, to not have a mother, a father, any friends... She wondered if that was how Zelena felt.

"Awfully late to be out here by yourself, isn't it?" She heard a voice remark, taking her by surprise. Mr. Gold was standing just a few feet away, with his cane set beside him and his car parked to his left. Caroline gulped.

"I was just... Out for a walk," she said, sticking her hands into the pockets of her jeans as a gust of wind came across them.

"Out in this cold? So far away from home?"

She was such a bad lair- she knew this, which meant getting herself out of that conversation would be quite difficult. But, as she remembered Zelena's advice towards her, a bit of confidence shone within her.

"I always go on walks when I'm bored," she said, "they're peaceful."

Gold didn't seem so sure. "I suppose you aren't as young as I thought you were. But still, what's in the forest?"

She shrugged, trying to come up with something. "My... Friend... She lives there."

"Lives in the woods?"

She was done for.

"Um, yeah, it's... Ruby. She always spends the night camping in the woods when she hunts."

The man raised his eyebrows. "I don't think spending time with a werewolf is safe for a girl like yourself. If you want, I could drive you home, or call your Mother-"

"No, I'll be okay," Caroline said quickly, "I'm on my way home right now. Thanks anyway."

Watching her walk down the street, Gold wondered what she was really up to. He had directed a strange activity in magic coming from the center of the forest, and had come to investigate. Whatever the nine year old was hiding, he would find out.

* * *

"You sure you can handle looking on this side of the town? I don't want to leave you here if you can't do it."

Roland rolled his eyes. "Of course I can handle it. You go and look over by the woods. If I get any leads, I'll call you."

The odds were certainly not in their favor. It was pitch black outside, almost below freezing, and the streets were barren. It scared both brothers to know that Caroline was outside in such a scary world.

"Alright, if we need to we can call up Grace or August to help. Thankfully it's not that late yet. Now what in the world are we going to say if Mom and Dad notice we're gone?"

Roland smiled. " I guess we'll have to weasel our way through a good lie, just like we used to do."

Henry returned the smile. He suddenly couldn't see why he was so mad at him- he was his little brother, his second half, and his partner in crime. The days of them playing soccer out in the grass fields of the Enchanted Forest still ran clear in his mind; if he concentrated hard enough, Henry could still smell the brisk forest air and hear Roland's little laughs. It was a memory that had stayed with him, a time in his life that would never be forgotten; a time when his mother finally found love again.

"Yeah, guess so," he replied, twirling his car keys around his finger, "and Roland? I'm sorry for what I did. The secret may be out there, but it is what it is. It's not like I regret any of it."

Raising his eyebrows, the fifteen year old seemed surprised with his remark. His older brother and apologies were hard to come by.

"Thanks. You're just lucky I didn't tell Mom any of your other secrets."

Henry laughed. "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't make it through the day if I told her everything."

That was the truest statement Roland had heard all night.

"And may she never find out. Now, we better get going."

They both separated on their different paths, beginning to scan the sides of the streets for a lost little nine year old. Henry drove up and down every street, a twisted feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. Sure Storybrooke was a nice town, but that changed once it got dark. He remembered how terrifying it was being trapped in that dusty old mine shaft, knowing that the entrance had been blockaded with boulders that could've crushed him with ease.

The woods were no different- endless silhouettes of thick tree trunks lining ones view, tangled, twisted roots acting as snares, waiting for their next victim to come walking through. Even the air was terrifying- not the fresh, arid breath of air the sunlight brought, but thick and humid, the kind of air that stuck on skin and formed water droplets on the leaves of trees.

His car sped a little faster as he neared the outskirts of the town. Now why would his sweet little sister end up here? He didn't know why she wouldn't seek the company of one of her friends, someone to talk to, like Ruby or Will. Neither of them had seen her since the previous day.

Knowing the town line was coming up, Henry was tempted to turn around and try the next street over. That was, until he saw a purple backpack and a swinging high ponytail against the brightness of his headlights. Stopping abruptly, he rolled down his window.

"Caroline! What're you doing out here?" He shouted, causing the girl to turn around and cover her eyes.

"Walking!"

"Well get over here and get in! Mom and Dad still don't know you're gone."

She scowled at him. "Yeah, because they're yelling at each other. I don't want to go home."

He rolled his eyes. She was so incredibly stubborn.

"Look, you gotta come home. We can talk about it with Mom and Dad. But you need to sleep, because you have school tomorrow."

"I don't want to go!"

"So what are you going to do, sleep in the forest tonight? That doesn't sound too fun to me."

Maybe she did want to go home. But she sure didn't want to get in trouble for being off by herself, and she didn't want to hear them arguing about a problem that didn't even pertain to her.

"I- I don't want them to fight..." She told him, her voice weakening.

"They won't, I promise. They both love you so much, and they want you to come home. Will you get in the truck?"

She lowered her head and started towards the truck, taking her time in opening the passenger door and climbing in. Though she obeyed her brother, Caroline wasn't happy about it. Getting in the same car as the same person that attacked her brother didn't really appeal to her at that moment- the hate swirling in his eyes still haunted her. They both knew she wasn't the most forward nine year old on the planet, but she wanted Henry to know right then and there that she wasn't happy about what he had done. Caroline knew her brother, and that wasn't him.

Resting her head against the cold glass window, she watched her breath turn into white splotches. Every now and then, she would run her finger across the condensation.

"So what, you're not going to thank me for picking you up?" Henry asked, trying to get her to talk.

Caroline shrugged. "Thanks... I guess. I told you I could walk by myself." Her small voice muffled in the window.

It was obvious what she was doing- and Henry hated it. He loved the friendship the two of them shared.

"You don't need to be mad at me, I apologized to Roland," he said, getting it out of the way, "we're good now."

Turning her head to the side, she scowled at him. "So? That doesn't change the fact that you hurt him. Why did you have to do that?"

"And why are you standing up for him so much?" Henry challenged, "he doesn't do anything for you."

"He's family, that's why! We can't just start hating each other, our family is all we have." Caroline said, all of the sadness she thought was gone after her visit with Zelena rushing back.

Henry sighed. "I really am sorry about it. I was just really mad. We're still a family, no matter what. And you'll always be my sister."

"But... Why did you hit him in the first place?" Caroline asked, her eyes glossy with tears when she looked at him. She needed to know; the secret was starting to drive her mad.

The second Henry saw the look in her eyes, he knew he was defeated. There was no way he could lie to her.

"Because I love her," he said bluntly, the word puncturing like a rock thrown into stilled water. "I love her- I love Grace, and Mom and Dad don't want to accept that."

The girl made a face. "What, that's... It? That's what everyone's been hiding from me?"

He sighed, knowing that she was too young to understand. "Yeah, it's that simple."

Turning her attention back to the window, Caroline watched the shops pass by as they made their way back towards the house. "Will you ask her to marry you, then?" She asked, almost absent mindedly, "then she can be my sister."

Henry's face insinuated a smile. "Yeah, maybe one day."

Suddenly, the ride home didn't seem so bad.

* * *

After walking through the forest for a half hour, following the enchanted footsteps Caroline had left without a sound, he stumbled upon an old farmhouse literally in the middle of nowhere. He noticed the shed first, out there by itself, then the old car. Rumple was beyond intrigued- Caroline had been there, and by the looks of things, someone was living there. And that someone seemed to have an enormous amount of magic. He could sense it; the magic made the tips of his fingers tingle.

Then, he saw her. A woman, with red hair, talking to a man on her porch. Inside, his heart practically stopped beating, for he could recognize her immediately. Zelena, the girl with volatile, uncontrollable power, Cora's first born. And she was there, in Storybrooke, a wolf preying on a flock of sheep. Or, rather, one sheep, one particularly white and innocent- Caroline.

It seemed as though Zelena had noticed him too; she shooed the man back inside and began down the pathway towards him. Everything was happening so fast. Rumple had half a mind to destroy her right then and there, knowing that whatever intention she had in his town wasn't going to be a good one.

"I was wondering when you would figure out the secret of me being here," she marveled, taking off one of her black gloves, then the other. The smile she wore on her face was the same one he had seen when he first met her- it showed the confidence she had in her power, and honestly, it was terrifying.

"Why such a shabby old cabin in the middle of the woods?" He asked, "doesn't really seem like your style. What are you doing here, Zelena? Does Regina know you're here?"

The woman let out a laugh. "Do you take me for a fool? That's the game, Dark One- the less she knows, the easier it is to destroy her. I've been interacting with her sweet daughter for almost two weeks now, she knows nothing about it. And do you know what's special about dear Caroline?"

His eyes darkened. "What are you planning on doing with her?"

Zelena was delighted in his ignorance. "You're looking awfully domesticated, Rumple. Did you make that servant girl of yours you wife? Did you move into a small little house, and spend the least ten years of your life with your grandchild? Seems awfully sweet for a man as dark as they come, doesn't it?"

"I put that life behind me, yes," he growled, "but don't think for a second that I won't hesitate to kill you, right here."

She laughed. "You can try. We both know I'm too powerful to be stopped. And you, you aren't going to do a thing to stop me."

He felt it suddenly, the mad rush of hate that he had felt for years as the Dark One in the Enchanted Forest. Striking his hand forward towards her chest, Rumple was surprised to be met with a blow of dark powder, causing his mind to become numb and his body weak.

Before he blanked out, he heard one more triumphant laugh.

"Because you won't remember a thing."

Zelena then engulfed the man in green smoke, sending him back to his car that was still parked on the side of the road.

Glancing around his surroundings, Rumple gave a confused look.

"What the hell am I doing here?"


	14. Something More

She had become lost in her work. Regina did this quite often when she was angry; letting her mind amerce in contracts and business transactions was like slipping under water, going to a place where her emotions couldn't get to her. She and Robin barely fought like they had done earlier, but nothing could erase the fact that they were two of the most stubborn people on the planet.

Almost drowning in papers, Regina caught sight of the time, something she hadn't done for hours. It had been just about three hours since her fight with Robin- it was nearly eleven. That was her problem, her natural tendency to overwork herself.

Putting down the paper she was holding, Regina rested back in her office chair and signed. She knew she had to face Robin and get everything sorted out, not to mention the fact that she hadn't seen her kids since she dropped them off for school.

Getting up and leaving her mess of work behind, she began thinking about what she was going to say to her husband. Things weren't supposed to be this awkward between them- sure he had said some things that were hurtful, but underneath it all, she knew he still loved her. That's what she loved about their relationship- she trusted him completely, and so did he with her.

When she entered the living room, she noticed Robin sitting on the couch watching some show on tv.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting next to him and trying not to make herself seem awkward.

Glancing to his side, he raised his eyebrows at her calmness. "Hey."

After about three seconds of silence and Robin pretending to watch the show, Regina knew she had to say it.

"I'm sorry," they both said at the same exact time, causing them to laugh and give one another sheepish looks.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't as understanding the whole Henry situation as I should've been," Robin began, once she granted him full passage to continue, "you're his mother, and I can't imagine how hard it is to see him grown up like this. But he's still Henry... He'll always be Henry."

Regina sighed, her enthusiasm falling rapidly. "Just thinking about it, Henry, our Henry, in love..." She managed a small smile, knowing it were true. "I suppose all of the kids have to grow up eventually. That just reminds me on how old I'm getting- and that's definitely not a good thing," Regina said, giving him a smirk. "But, when I thought about it a little deeper, I realized that it doesn't really matter that I'm getting old, because that reminds me that I have an amazing husband by my side to get old with. I get to grow old with my best friend."

Robin returned the smile, knowing she was right. Every year they had spent together had been a year of happy memories.

"You know, we'll be married for ten years in a couple months," he stated, finding it hard to believe himself, "how'd I get so lucky? It feels like just yesterday you introduced yourself to me and had that godstricken look on your face when you saw my tattoo."

Regina laughed, the tension between them dissolving away like it hadn't even happened. "Well what was I supposed to think? You were the last person I was expecting to see."

They had to do something special when their wedding anniversary came around; but that night had different plans for the family.

Not yet aware that her three children were wandering around Storybrooke, Regina leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss, followed by wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I can't believe Caroline is going to be ten next week," she told him, "now she's the one that's really getting old."

He smiled, gently rubbing her back. "Speaking of Caroline, I haven't seen her since this morning."

He was right. With all the events that occurred, Regina hadn't had a chance to check on her.

"I'll to do that right now," she said, getting up off the couch and starting for the staircase.

It took her approximately thirty seconds to realize that none of her children were in their bedrooms.

She came rushing back down the stairs, her eyes wide and stricken with horror.

"Robin! The kids are gone!" She shouted, causing him to turn off the television and stand up to face her.

"What do you mean they're gone? It's almost eleven thirty!"

She had to pause for a moment to catch her breath. "Caroline and Roland aren't upstairs, or- or down here..." Putting a hand to her head, she gave him a look of complete dismay. "Dear God, we've lost our kids. We are officially the worst parents in the history of ever."

Coming towards her, Robin got out his phone and called Roland's number, swearing when the call went straight to voicemail. Regina checked the backyard and the garage.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Robin told her, putting his arms on her shoulders to calm her down.

"Going to be okay?" She repeated, "Robin, they're out there in the dark, wandering around and doing who knows what. Things are not okay."

"Yes, but we live in Storybrooke," he reasoned, "a tiny little town- they're safe, wherever they are."

She shook her head. "Something always goes wrong when it's dark- it doesn't matter how big or small the town is."

He knew she was right. After letting her go, Regina grabbed her keys and started for the door. A perfect end to a chaotic day.

* * *

They drove around the streets in an endless worry; Regina began to fear the worst. She couldn't imagine her sweet daughter lost in such a dark and terrifying world, knowing firsthand what it was like. Even Robin was getting nervous. That was, until they spotted the rusted old pickup truck that temporarily belonged to Henry. They were headed home- after a quick conversation with Henry and a confirmation that all three kids were in the car; it was an easy drive back to the house.

Regina was more than relieved to return home, this time with her entire family. It was beyond all of their bedtimes, and every single one of them just wanted to sleep. But the first thing Regina did upon entering the house was encircle her arms around her daughter and hold her close. Thankfully she was still light enough to be lifted up.

"Why would you take off like that?" She asked, her voice heavy with concern and worry.

Caroline bit her bottom lip. "Well... I heard you and Dad fighting, and... I got sad. I thought you were going to get a divorce."

Pulling away from her, Regina gave her a confused look. "A what? No, Caroline... Your father and I love each other very much, but that doesn't mean we can't have arguments here and there. Now what are your excuses?"

Roland and Henry exchanged looks. "We were looking for her, that's what."

"So you two aren't trying to kill each other anymore?" Robin asked, giving his wife a surprised look.

Henry shrugged. "That's old news. And besides, we couldn't let Caroline go off by herself."

It was a sudden comfort to know that her kids all looked out for one another.

"Where did you go?" Regina asked, looking back down towards the girl.

"Just the woods," she muttered, suddenly interrupted by a yawn, "I walked around."

Sighing, Regina used her index finger to tilt her chin up in her direction. "Well you need to get to bed- we're not having a chaotic day like today. I can tuck you in if you want."

She couldn't say no to that deal. Sleep was depriving her mind of all other thoughts; the events at Zelena's house seemed so far away. All that mattered was her was the comfy bed she had waiting in her room.

After saying goodnight to her brothers, Caroline changed into the first pair of pajamas she found in her drawer, brushed her teeth, and practically jumped onto her bed, feeling all of her worries and stress fade away. With her lights still on, the view on her wall completely filled her view. She was so used to seeing the paining that covered her wall from corner to corner, the nine year old could tell someone all about it with her eyes closed. Ruby had painted it herself when her nursery was first getting assembled. Her parents had explained that it was the Enchanted Forest, the realm where her family previously lived. Her mother had left just months before she was born, something she couldn't quite understand. With all the beauty painted on her wall, Caroline couldn't imagine how amazing the realm would be in person. It made her envious that everyone else had been there except her- even if Roland were only four, it still counted. The rolling green hills, the galloping horses, the space... It all seemed perfect to her. She loved Storybrooke, but something inside of her always wanted more.

"You've had such a big day," Regina remarked, entering her room and sitting down on her bed.

Caroline nodded, resting her head against her pillow.

"Are you going to deliver your invitations tomorrow?"

"Everyone already knows they're coming, I mean we do a party every year." She reasoned, "but I'll still give them one."

Regina gave a sigh. "I promise you'll have the best party yet- are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah," the nine year old replied quickly, "I just wish we could, I don't know... Do something else."

She already knew what the answer would be- there's not a whole lot of choices in a town like Storybrooke.

"I know," Regina said, pulling the covers back so Caroline's small body could fit herself underneath. "But I have a surprise for you- how do you feel about doing something with me? Just the two of us."

Instantly, she saw her daughter's eyes light up with interest.

"What would we do?"

"I know you think there's nothing exciting to do here, which is somewhat understandable, but... What would say to a chance to head out on a boat and go whale watching?"

"Watch whales?"

"Yeah, I heard it was fun," Regina replied, "turns out Killian has a friend that owns a small boat on the docks- and no, it isn't a pirate ship."

For the region being mainly lumber and fishing, Caroline had never been out in the ocean farther than a few yards.

"Sounds fun! As long as we can actually see some whales." She said, letting out another yawn.

Regina smiled. "Great! But you have to promise me you'll have a good day in school tomorrow. We'll leave right after."

"Just you and me?"

"Unless you want your father to come."

She shrugged. "I'll think about it. It's my birthday week, after all."

A queen, just like her mother.

"Okay. Well you think about it over a nice, long rest. But no sleeping in," she instructed, reaching over to turn off the light her lamp gave off. Before she got up, Caroline asked one last question.

"Mom? What would I be like if I crossed over the line? I mean, what memories would I have?"

Pausing to think for a moment, Regina gave her a look through the blackness between them. "Now what kind of question is that? Ironically, I'm the only person that hasn't been under any sort of memory curse."

"I asked what memories I would have," Caroline corrected, "not that I'm thinking about crossing the line. I'm just curious."

"Well you certainly wouldn't remember me," Regina began, "or your brothers, or Dad, or Emma, Snow, all of them. You would probably have a completely different personality, which is sad, because yours is the best in the world. I don't know what I would do if I lost you in my life. Words cannot describe how much I love you." Regina finished, sending her a smile. "And I don't know if memoryless Caroline would enjoy horses as much as you do."

Fetching her favorite stuffed chestnut horse off the ground, her mother handed it to the girl and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Night, Mom," Caroline muttered, seconds before sleep overtook her senses.

* * *

In the morning, the house was teeming with an array of different smells. It was nearly seven, and although it was early, Caroline was in higher spirits. Nobody knew about her encounter with Zelena, and she had the promise of going out onto the ocean after school. Since it was a Friday, Caroline spent extra time picking out her outfit- a flannel top, her good pair of jeans, and her riding boots. It had been about three months since she had been able to ride her horse, Luna, since the stables were being refurbished.

Making her way downstairs, she was welcomed by her mother and father, as well as Roland, who was sipping a glass of orange juice while sitting on one of the barstools.

Caroline climbed up onto the stool next to him, watching their mother pour batter into their waffle maker.

"Hey, thanks for... You know, looking for me last night." She said quietly, "it was nice. But I'm perfectly capable of finding my way back home."

Roland smirked. "Yeah, but that's what family's for. I have to be the one that keeps you in check."

Rolling her eyes, the nine year old poured herself a glass. "It was Henry who found me. You were on the other side of town when we picked you up."

Nudging her with his shoulder, Roland gave her a defensive look. "It's the thought that counts! You better promise me you won't run away like that again."

Caroline wasn't used to him taking so much time out of his teenage life to talk to her. Still, it was nice knowing he cared.

"That comes from all of us," Regina added in, presenting both children with a plate of cinnamon bun waffles and syrup. It was sort of a tradition for the family, something Regina had made one rainy day that stuck with them through the years.

"Let's hope today runs a lot more smoothly," Robin said, starting on his breakfast.

After eating, Regina worked a quick braid in her daughter's hair, gathering her invitations and getting everything and everyone situated in the car. For once, they were going to arrive at school at a reasonable time.

"When I get my license, you'll never have to drive here ever again."

Regina simply rolled her eyes. "Henry can drive, so can Emma, Killian, Will, Ruby, and David. They're all capable of driving you two to school, but it always comes back to me."

She had a point, but Regina still enjoyed her motherly duties. All she had to do was think back to a time when she was the outcast, when Henry didn't trust her and didn't want her as a mother. Now that she had gained that right again, she wasn't going to let it go.

"You be sure to act happy when you're handing those invitations out," she explained when they arrived at the school, "make them all excited about coming."

Caroline knew she was right, but something in the back of her mind told her that her classmates wouldn't be too excited about being invited to her birthday party for the tenth time, practically the same thing every year.

But this time, this time she had a feeling that things would be different.


	15. Out in the Ocean

For the first time in forever, Caroline actually enjoyed going to school. The hope of spending more time with her mother fueled her through the day, giving her a particular smile that she hadn't had in a long time. Snow noticed, as did everyone else. Giving out the invitations to her party had been easier than she had expected it to be- maybe her classmates liked her more than she thought they did.

"I can't wait to go," her friend Lucy told her, glancing over the invitation with curious eyes, "your Mom better make the same cake she did last year- it's always so good!"

Caroline laughed. "I'll talk to her about it, don't worry. We're going on a boat after school today."

The girl's eyes lit up with interest. "A boat? That sounds awesome!"

"Yup. Right after school too. Did you know you can go out thirty miles into the ocean before you hit the boundary?"

Right as Lucy shook her head, the bell that announced the end of school sounded, causing an eruption in the fourth grade classroom.

"You better be careful!" She shouted back to her, just as Caroline started for the door with swift feet. It only took a few seconds for the hallways to fill with students of all ages. She was quick to find her brother in the crowd, who was talking to August, and tug on his backpack.

"You jealous you don't get to come with us?" She asked, placing herself right in between the two teens.

Roland laughed. "Jealous about going on a boat? Hardly."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You know you are. I get to be with Mom for the entire day- good luck eating whatever Dad cooks for you."

She then took off towards the line of cars parked outside of the school, immediately recognizing the red corvette that belonged to Ruby Lucas.

Immediately, she was welcomed into the vehicle, her mother and the younger brunette in the front two seats.

"How's it going, buttercup?" Ruby asked, turning to face the girl.

Smirking at the nickname, Caroline pushed aside the stack of blank white canvases to make room for her backpack. The jeep reeked of old paint and burgers.

"Nothing much, just learned all day," she replied, accepting a pre made peanut butter and jelly sandwich from her mother.

"You don't mind that Ruby's coming along, right?" She asked, a kind but concerned smile on her face. "She promised food."

Caroline noticed something very quickly about her mother; she was in one of her really good moods. It wasn't that Regina was usually in a bad mood, because she wasn't, but she had a mood where she laughed more than just once or twice, where her smile shone a little brighter, like a piece of light stolen from the sun itself.

"Yeah, that's fine," the girl replied, between bites. Ruby was basically family; sure she was her uncle's girlfriend, but she was definitely more than that.

She and her mother had been close friends before Caroline could even walk.

"It's a nice boat, promise," Ruby confirmed, starting up the jeep and pulling out of her parking spot. Soon the three were heading down the dirt backroads towards the shoreline.

Surprisingly, the weather outside that afternoon was strange, completely out of the ordinary for the beginning of March. Though winter was still coming slowly to its end in Maine, the sky was a stark blue, and for once, the air wasn't carrying a frozen feel to it.

"Do you think it'll be spring soon?" Caroline asked, being the first one out of the three to speak.

The two front doors slammed as the two women got out, slinging knapsacks on their shoulders and surveying the scene.

"It's only March, we still have a little ways to go before spring hits." Her mother replied, setting her hands on her small shoulders and gazing out into the endless blue valley of ocean before them. The modest little sailboat seemed picturesque, something that could've easily been taken right from a magazine- white sail, a curved frame, and a fishing net hanging off the far side.

The three began walking towards the docs, their hair all tied up to keep the wind from getting in their way too much.

Caroline liked being out by the ocean. It was calming to see the waves roll into the sandy shoreline, to see the ivory foam lapping on the surface of the blue salt water. Now she was actually going to go out onto the water, to endeavor on a journey unlike anything the girl had ever done before. However, their epic quest was simply watching whales swim around from thirty feet below the surface. Not that she was complaining, though.

"Watch your step," Regina warned, eyeing her daughter closely as she took the step from the wooden docs to the boat, stepping over the lurking water beneath.

"In a couple of days, we'll have to start putting up decorations at the diner," Ruby said, loosening the rope binding the ship to land. "I really cannot believe your birthday is coming up so fast."

Caroline watched in wonder as she started up the creaky motor, the boat slowly coming to life in a low hum that vibrated against their palms as they overlooked the sea out before them.

"I already like being out here," she said, a smile gracing her small face, "you actually think we'll see any whales?"

The boat was moving then, slowly at first, though it picked up speed second by second.

"Of course I do! You don't know what you've missed all these years," Ruby continued, "they're huge, the North Atlantic fin whales. You wouldn't think such a big animal would be so fast under the water... But they are."

She could already feel herself drifting off with the waves, her worries melting away with the wind.

"The ocean is so peaceful during afternoons like this," Regina said, looping her arm around her daughter's shoulders and gazing off into the sky. "I'm so glad we're doing this- just you and I."

Caroline gave her mother a sideways smile, her hair whipping around her face due to the wind. It was nice to hear that statement from her- it had been a while since she had done something just with her mother. Henry was probably doing something with Paige, and Roland was probably doing something with August. But Caroline, she was the luckiest of them all at the moment. She was with her mother.

"We should be far out enough to see some," Ruby said, popping the lid off of a small white cooler and taking out a drink. "I brought lemonade."

Hours out on the sea seemed to fly by faster than time spent in the town. In no time flat, the sun was setting, and the three girls were all sitting side by side, sipping lemonade, and chatting away like they were long lost friends. They had so much to catch up on. It wasn't like it was anything huge they were talking about- just simple things, like chatting about the shows they watched and the current fads of the world.

"I think I see another one!" Caroline announced, gripping the black binoculars as she spotted a sudden burst of water. She pointed towards it, causing her mother to give her hand a squeeze and a hug around the shoulders.

"Would you look at that," Regina remarked, "they must know it's almost your birthday."

Ruby gently took the binoculars from the girl and looked through them. "I've never seen so many at one time- Regina, we need to go out and do this more often!"

She was right; they needed to go out and have fun together more often. But then there was life... There was her job in the way, school, responsibilities, even little things that kept her from what was really important. Right in that moment, though, everything that was important was right there with her on that boat. Right in that moment, she was happy.


	16. A Walk Down The Street

Everyone knew that Regina was the head of the Hood household. Even before she and Robin were married, she was always the one that made the heavy decisions. Robin was okay with this; in fact, he wouldn't have his soulmate any other way. That's how they worked, the queen and the outlaw- they were both strong, yet the both of them craved something that only could be fulfilled by one another. She was the mayor, the queen of the land, and he was her lionheart; her protector.

This was why it was so odd not having her at the house that Thursday night. With Regina gone on that boating trip, the house seemed awkwardly silent, out of order, almost. Roland didn't know what to do with himself, nor did his father. But then, that problem was solved, when Killian and David came over with three DVDs in hand. The fifteen year old watched in amusement as the three grown men made themselves comfortable in the living room.

He sure didn't want to become another player in the vicious battle for popcorn and coke cans- Roland got out as quickly as he could. With the sun still in the sky, he was once again walking down the street, hoping to find August at his house. It wasn't too far of a walk, and he enjoyed being outside. Although he initially thought he was alone, the sound of footsteps behind him quickly gave him second thoughts.

His father was once a thief- Roland had inherited some attributes from him, including being swift on his feet. In a mere second he was turned around with his phone clutched in hand, only to see a woman in his direct line of vision. At first, he felt foolish about being so threatened, but then he remembered Caroline had telling him that she had befriended a woman that nobody seemed to know, someone with hair red as fire.

The threatening feeling returned.

"Are you following me?" The fifteen year old asked demandingly, disregarding his mother's strict orders on never being rude to strangers.

The woman shook her head. "No. Ok just on a walk. Where are you headed all by yourself?"

Roland almost rolled his eyes then and there. Did he not look fifteen?

"Off to a friend's house. And I don't think I believe you."

She gave him a look. "What, about going on a walk?"

"You're the person my sister has been hanging around, aren't you."

"You mean Caroline? She's such a sweet girl."

Roland scowled. "Well why do you two talk so much? I don't think it's good- she's keeping it a secret from our parents, and that's never a good thing. She has an... Overactive imagination. If you give her ideas, she'll find a way to make it work."

Instead of replying, Zelena simply readjusted her purse and began walking towards him, inaudibly bidding him to follow.

"She's told me about you, you know," the red head added in smoothly, with a punch of subtleness, enough to grip the teenager's attention for more than just a few seconds- enough to cause him to join her on the walk up the sidewalk, passing numerous cookie cutter houses as they went.

"What?" Roland snapped, with all the defense he could muster, "what do you know about me?"

Zelena couldn't help but smile to herself- she didn't care if he noticed or not. It was a smile of presumed accomplishment; she had the high strung teenager right where she wanted him.

"She told me about what happened on Valentine's Day, with that blonde girl... What was her name again?"

The playfulness laced in her voice, along with the thick accent, made Roland's eyes widen slightly in surprise. "Alex? Why the hell was she talking to you about-"

"Don't swear, your mother raised you better than that, didn't she?"

Now Roland was just plain annoyed. He didn't know what this woman was getting at- he barely knew her to begin with, and now she claims to know not only him, but his sister and his mother as well. Odd.

"Well my mother isn't here right now. Now answer the question, what'd she say about Alex?"

Apparently, he didn't notice how desperately self conscious he sounded. The perks of being a teenager, Zelena concluded in her head.

"She says that some other guy asked her out on a date, and that it bothered you. Caroline really does care about you, you know."

Ronald was running out of witty things to say. He didn't know what her angle was by telling him all of this- did she want him to get angry? Sad? Spill something he shouldn't?

"It's sad really, when young people don't get the love they deserve," Zelena continued, as if she was God and she knew everything about what life had to offer.

Defeated, the fifteen year old gave into his weakness and complied to her constant pushing. "Well who said I liked her? I've known her since I was five- she's my best friend, and I suppose she has the right to go on dates with however many stupid seniors she wants."

"Well, I think you should tell her how you feel. If you did indeed grow up with her, you should feel close enough to say just about anything to her."

What she would've given for a friend like that when she was his age.

Roland cast his eyes down to the moving sidewalk beneath him. Sadly, there was still a ways to go before he would make it to August's house, which meant more talking unless he did something about it. He didn't know how to reply, so instead, he thought about what she had said. Maybe it was true that they had known one another since he was six, but telling her something as heavy as proclaiming his love for her was far too risky in his book. But perhaps that's what he needed- a little bit of risk in his life. Henry took risks; Henry was the truest believer. And he got pretty far in life by just believing in things.

"What lovely tan skin you have," he heard her say, sounding nothing short of completely random and out of the blue.

"Wherever do you get a tan like that here? The sun only shines on a rare occasion."

After thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged. "I was, uh, born with it, I guess. Why is your hair so red?"

Zelena chuckled. "I guess I was just born with it too."

But the witch knew very well that red hair was a result of a genetic mutation; something that wasn't supposed to be created. Perhaps her father, her _real_ father, had red hair like she did.

"You couldn't possibly have gotten that from Regina," she remarked, pushing the conversation along further, "Caroline is a pale little girl."

Her sister's olive skin slightly differed from her own porcelain skin, but Zelena knew that had to be something linked back to their shared mother, Cora. _Great_ , she thought, _more ways to be more like my bloody sister_.

Discomfort had begun to bubble up inside him like a bottled up volcano- talking about... Sensitive things like his real mother wasn't something he enjoyed doing.

"Well, uh, I was adopted by Regina when I was six, I guess... She married my dad."

Zelena tried her best to look and act surprised by this discovery. "Who is-was- your real mother, then? Is she here in Storybrooke?"

Shaking his head, Roland rounded the next corner, wishing he could just take off running towards the house. Was it even worth it anymore?

"She died when I was born," he told her, his heart feeling unexpectedly heavy.

"Before Regina, it was just my dad and me. Then they took me from the Enchanted Forest to here, signed some papers, and... That's it. I got a mom, a brother, and a sister."

Reminding himself of this fact constantly made the biting feeling of neglect spike back into his system. Yes, he was the odd guy out- Caroline was his sister, they shared the same father, but she also had two parents who she had known for her entire life. Roland wasn't even related to Henry. None of his siblings knew what it was like not knowing the one person that gave them life.

"Interesting," was all Zelena could say, prevalent to the thought that every single person in his large and extended family treated him like one of their own. "Well you sound lucky to me- to have such a welcoming family."

Her statement was fueled by irritable memories of her father, her awful, malicious, unforgiving father. There was nothing welcoming about the pathetic "family" she once had.

When all hope of getting to his destination left his mind, Roland looked up the road to see August's house just a few feet away. Thank goodness.

"Yeah, pretty lucky... Hey, I gotta go. Do my family a favor and stay away from Caroline, would you?"

That's all Roland could manage to say due to his flustered mind; without another second wasted, he turned to follow the winding path of the walkway, leaving Zelena to finish her walk alone.

He couldn't've rang the doorbell any faster.

* * *

With nervous and fluttering hands, Caroline stood before her own door, her cheeks rosy and her white, clouded breath fogging the empty air in front of her as she stood impatiently on the wooden porch. It confused the girl as to why Zelena hadn't taken any initiative to decorate the outside of her house. If she lived there, she should give the house her own personal touch- otherwise, it just looked like an abandoned farm house out in the middle of the woods.

"Caroline, what are you doing here?" The red-headed woman inquired, glancing around at the surroundings behind her to see if anyone was with her in the dark, snowy atmosphere. Once again, the girl was out way past anything her mother would approve of- one of these days she was going to get caught.

Caroline was still out of breath, for she had run towards the house under the lie that she was getting the mail outside. Hopefully her mother wouldn't notice that getting the mail would take her daughter at least ten solid minutes. After four straight hours on the boat, they were both exhausted.

"I- I wanted to say sorry for... You know, being upset the last time I was here."

Before responding, Zelena gave the girl a look. She wore her hair in two braids that stopped at her shoulders, topped with a snow dusted blue hat and a puffy purple cost around her skinny body; there was no way she could leave her out in the cold like this, despite how heartless the wicked witch of the west was perceived to be.

"Oh dear, get inside before you catch a cold," Zelena said, reaching for her hand and pulling her into the warmth of her house. As usual, Walsh was right on queue, wagging his black tail and looking up at the cherry nosed girl with excitement.

Caroline took a long breath of the heated air before digging her left hand into her pocket, pulling out a slightly crumpled piece of paper.

"Everyone has to let go of their anger at some point; everyone has it. Sadness, abandonment, rage... Even the best of us falls victim to it. Tell me though, did you're parents work things out?"

She nodded. "I think so."

Zelena quickly noticed how all of the girl's attention resided in the paper she was holding. Sheepishly, Caroline offered the unfolded paper in the woman's direction. "Here, I want to invite you to this."

Taken aback slightly, Zelena accepted the paper and examined it quickly. It was titled _Caroline's 10th Birthday Party_ in large purple letters.

"What's this? Are you... Asking me to come to your party?" She asked, her blue eyes popping with a million emotions all at once.

Caroline smiled. "Yeah. Can you come? The date and time is on the page."

Again, Zelena scanned over the paper. "Indeed it does... Isn't this party for, I don't know, kids your age?"

Sure she was honored for the invite, but being amidst an entire classroom of ten year olds didn't seem fun to her. They would all be flying monkeys within the hour.

Tilting her head to the side, Caroline shook her head. "No, I invited everyone- Killian, Emma, Ruby, Snow... There will be tons more adults there than kids my age. And besides, it doesn't matter- you're my friend and I want to invite you."

Though it was slightly reassuring to hear, the response still sounded a bit sad. But then again, there was nothing she could do to change the number of kids her age in the town. Still… Caroline thought of her as a friend. Never before had anyone given her that title.

She took in a breath and smiled. "Then I'd be delighted to go. That is, if your parents are okay with it."

Instantly, the nine year old beamed. "Yes! I'm so excited now!"

Before setting the invitation down, Zelena noticed that the bottom like read _presents mandatory_.

"I suppose I'll have to find a present for you before Saturday," she added, giving the girl a teasing smile.

Caroline's mouth opened slightly as she thought of a reasonable explanation.

"Well- you don't _have_ to bring a present... But if you _want_ to..." She was fidgeting with her hands now- it was rather amusing to watch.

"Don't worry, it won't be a problem. Now you better head home before you get in trouble!"

Slipping her gloves back on, Caroline obeyed her better than she would he own mother. Zelena opened the door for her, and she was outside in an instant.

"Bye Zelena, bye Walsh, see you Saturday!" She announced, before turning back towards the dark winter night and disappearing into the forest without a sound.


	17. My Gift to You

* * *

The sun was bright, and the sky was the clearest blue she had ever seen. _Today was the day_. The day she had been waiting and anticipating for the past month- the one day that would change her forever. Caroline half expected to wake up that morning a completely different person- nevertheless, she still felt small and scrawny when she awoke that Saturday morning.

"Happy birthday, kiddo!" She heard Roland shout, setting himself on her bed before she could even open her eyes. When she did, she saw her entire family in her bedroom- that was a surprise by itself. Her father was holding a bouquet of purple balloons, looking quite elegant against the fluorescent lights above them. Beside him, her mother was smiling brightly down at her, looking about ready to burst with excitement as she aimed a video camera in her direction, ready to record the moment. But the first true surprise of the morning resulted from seeing her oldest brother with a wrapped package in his hands. As far as she knew, Henry was supposed to be on his way back to Canada- he must've been keeping it from her. She had said her goodbyes the night before and it had been hard... But this was something truly amazing.

"Henry!" She exclaimed, giving him a hug as he set the present in her lap.

Robin and Regina exchanged glances, and the record button was quickly pressed, capturing every second of the moment before them.

"Why are you still here?"

"What, you want me gone, just like that?"

Caroline giggled, and shook her head. "No! If it were up to me, you'd live here instead of Ontario. But then again, they don't have a fancy university here."

Storybrooke definitely did not have a fancy university- it did, however, have a small community college. As the years passed by after the curse freezing time was lifted, the children grew older, and soon had nothing to do after high school graduation. About two years before Regina met her soulmate, she had finally obtained the land and other legal necessitates needed to build SBU, the small but ever growing community college at the edge of town. It was where everyone went after graduation; they had a nursing program, an engineering sector, and even a law firm. But, of course, Henry was different; he was special, so he got a choice nobody else in that town had- he got to leave whenever he wanted. Not even his siblings could do that.

"No, they don't. But hey, Ontario sure doesn't have you guys. I emailed my professor and told him that I needed to take my exam later this week- I can't just miss your tenth birthday."

Beside his sister, Roland rolled his eyes inwardly in frustration. Of course all it took was a simple email in order for Henry to get out of things just like that. It was a joke.

"So what are we going to do first?" Caroline asked excitedly, changing the subject back to her.

"Why don't you get changed while I get breakfast started," Regina proposed, walking over to her daughter's bed and placing a kiss to her temple, hugging her close for a brief moment.

"I just can't believe you're ten," she sighed, the past decade of her life swirling around in her mind in the few seconds she held her. It was moments like these that her prior self, the Regina Mills with a hardened heart and a lonely soul, was amazed that she successfully brought a child as innocent as her Caroline up in such a hopeless world. But as hopeless her life seemed before she met Robin, Regina was proud to say that fate had given her a hopeful turn for the better- the past ten years had been full of happy memories with friends and family; there was no longer a threat from Neverland, or her mother, or any other monster that lurked outside of the city limits.

No, her town of Storybrooke was a place where people could thrive without worrying about those things. Regina could raise her children without fear because, undoubtedly, she knew every single citizen within her town, and she knew there was no way anyone could get in without her knowing. She, Rumplestiltskin, and Emma made sure of that- nobody had magic stronger than theirs.

"Should I wear my blue dress or my pink flannel Mom?"

Regina looked down to see a pair of inquisitive brown eyes glancing up at her and smiled.

"I think you should wear the dress- David's love for flannel is starting to really rub off on you, and I don't know if I like it or not." She joked, giving her another light squeeze.

"Well she already has the horseback riding part down," Robin interjected, "I should start buying you flannel, Regina. Then you two can be my cowgirls."

Regina practically scowled at the word. Turning around to give him one of her looks, she reveled in his instant regret.

"Boys, you're helping me with breakfast," she instructed, "and yes, that includes you too Robin. I'll see you downstairs soon sweetheart."

With another hug and exchange of smiles, Regina followed her son out the door, only to be stopped short by her husband's toned forearms. He easily got a secure hold on her, snatching her from behind and straight into his chest, spinning her around so she was face to face with him.

"That's what I'll get you for our ten year anniversary," Robin grinned, speaking in a hushed whisper, "flannel. We can officially turn into a Snow and Charming couple."

He knew that messing with his wife was like playing with fire, but the thief couldn't help himself.

"Not if you want me to continue sleeping next to you every month," she counteracted, finding a way to slip out of his hold on her waist before he could manage to place a kiss on her lips.

She was gleefully striding down the hallway towards the staircase, still wearing her silk pajamas that skimmed the carpet as she walked.

"Now hurry up, your daughter wants her strawberry pancakes."

* * *

After a rowdy breakfast with her energetic ten year old, Regina had her family packed in her Escalade and off towards Granny's right on schedule. Everyone had agreed to help out with the party, as they always have, promising to make this year's celebration bigger and greater than ever. There was no opposition about it- Caroline was involved in everyone's lives. Emma, Killian, Snow, Charming, Will, they had all watched her grow up. Throwing the best party in the history of their magically made town seemed like a small price to pay for the love she brought to the family.

"We've got one hour to transform this place," Regina announced, entering the diner to discover an army of her friends and family moving swiftly around the booths and tables, all completely zoned in to the task in hand. Granny was holding a clipboard, a stern look on her face as she directed orders to Emma and the pirate. The second she spotted Caroline, however, her harsh façade completely melted away.

"There's the birthday girl! How are you feeling?"

The girl smiled. "Amazing! Today is gonna be the best. Are you making the cake again Granny?"

"You know it!"

Before she could say anything more, the ten year old was whisked away by Snow, who captured her in a tight embrace and gently swayed from side to side. "I cannot believe you're ten! This is crazy- I'm getting so old! Before long you'll be graduating from high school, heading off to collage..."

"Oh stop it Mom," Emma intervened, attempting to wiggle the suffocating girl out of her grip, "you know she can't leave. She's not going anywhere."

Emma cut her sentence off abruptly, knowing she had said something she hadn't. A small smile flashed in replacement of her startled demeanor; all she had to do after that was wait and see what the girl's reaction would be.

"That's right," Caroline sighed, a surprisingly understanding smile on her face, "maybe I'll be a nurse, like Grace."

"Well, you've got a while to think about that," Emma said, giving her temple a kiss, "until then, revel in your first year in double digits. It's a once in a lifetime thing, kiddo."

She quickly took those words to heart. Everything had to be perfect for her party- for some reason, there was a pressure for her party to impress all of her schoolmates. Even if she weren't close friends with them, she didn't want to be forever known as the shy girl with important parents. She didn't know when exactly the change from ignorance to reality happened, really, and Caroline wasn't quite sure she was ready for it.

"Alright, it's perfect!" She heard her mother announce, the voice of the mayor turning every head in the room. "It's all perfect- nobody touch anything. We have ten minutes before this place becomes flooded with kids. You all know what to do, and if anything goes wrong... We'll get more cake. Get over here Caroline, we have pictures to take."

Being the daughter of a former queen, Caroline knew very well that if she didn't obey, she had quite the punishment waiting for her.

Every year was the same- pictures with family, pictures with balloons, and pictures with her parents. She didn't love standing still with a petrified smile on he face as the white flashes streaked like lightning across her face, but she knew her mom really liked keeping them.

Caroline was centered around the large crowd of the people she called family; the prince married to her bandit of a grandmother, the savior dating the pillaging pirate, they were all there, in that picture, surrounding her with love and attention. Then, in the quickness of a camera flash, it was over- the doors soon opened, and Granny's began to fill with children. Parents dropped their fourth graders off and stayed five minutes for a fast birthday wish; some lingered longer, locked in a conversation with either Robin or Regina. With them occupied, Emma, Killian, Granny, and the rest of the Charmings acted as chaperones, keeping the crowd of eager faces entertained with the promise of food, games, and prizes.

"It's so cool your brother could stay for your party," her friend said, nudging Caroline's shoulder as she caught Henry's glance. He was adding another present to the pile that already existed on one of the booth tables.

"I know. It makes this birthday extra special," she responded, repeating her mother's words. Of course this birthday was the most important one she had, but it shared most of the same things her past parties had- her family, her schoolmates, and Granny's diner. Caroline supposed that meant it had to be up to her to make it special.

"How's the cake coming along?" Robin asked, finally catching a glance of his wife among the many other faces in the diner. Regina was hunched over in front of Caroline's chocolate cake, completely channeling all of her focus towards the dessert layered with green and purple swirls, her daughter's two favorite colors. Her lower lip was bit in concentration- Regina barely got out a faint "good" in reply to her husband. Eye contact wasn't even a question.

Robin didn't know how Regina could do the cake so perfectly and effortlessly, though she had done one for every single birthday each of her three children had. Professional Cake Maker was something that could be added to her endless list of titles.

He could, however, see the wrinkles creeping at the corners of her beautiful brown eyes, evidence of the long, happy years of marriage. The tiredness in her façade was also clear. But, knowing her well both inside and out, Robin knew that she would do absolutely anything and everything in order to make Caroline's birthday a success.

His suspicions were confirmed when Regina quickly turned her head to the side and coughed twice into the crook of her elbow.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, sudden concern pounding in his voice.

This time, Regina raised her eyes up towards his. "Yeah, just a little cold. But don't worry about me- has Emma started the beanbag toss yet?"

The seriousness in her voice was indisputable.

"She just did. Don't worry, Regina, everything is going fine. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Regina sighed, knowing that was impossible. "Just... Keep track of Caroline, okay? And make sure everything is running smooth while I finish this cake."

Robin responded with a sigh, slowly straightening his posture until he was upright and peering across the room at all the festivities, the dull pain in his back fading slowly as he tried to hide his wince. It was irritating and irrefutable, old age, but the thief knew it was simply a fact of life.

Within ten seconds, Caroline was spotted in the crowd of girls and boys no taller than four foot two, standing before the large array of purple and blue cupcakes. She was taking her time in picking one; her index finger tracing over each individual cupcake, probably looking for the biggest one, the one with the most icing. This act of childlike innocence put a smile on her father's face faster than anything else could- she was _happy_.

An unexpected rush of wind surged into the room right then, causing the entire room to burst with animation for a split second before everything abruptly returned to its normal state. Robin glanced up at the door immediately, surprised not by the gust of wind, but by the woman standing now inside the diner. She was tall, probably because of the heels she was wearing, and her fiery red hair remained pristine- even after enduring the windy weather outside. And, more importantly, Robin didn't know who she was. Even after scanning through the mental lists of every citizen in Storybrooke, (he knew everyone, mostly because his wife was the mayor) the result was a big fat blank space. Robin didn't know how or when he allowed himself to walk towards the front of the diner, but before he knew what he was doing, there she was, right in his path.

She caught his eyes after a moment of glancing around at all the kids in the room. She had bright blue eyes, foreign yet exquisite, eyes that seemed to just about burst with confidence and friendliness. Robin had a twinge of wariness inside, an insecurity he couldn't quite put a finger on.

Arm extended, with a warm and welcome smile on his face, Robin shook her hand.

"Are you, uh, here for lunch? It might be a while, Granny practically shuts the diner down for the entire day for-"

"Caroline's birthday party?" The redhead answered for him, a pleasant smile on her face, "I know. That's why I'm here."

Robin didn't have enough warning to wipe the surprise off of his face. "Oh," was his pathetic reply, retracting his hand, "well, welcome! Glad you could make it, Ms..."

"You can call me Zelena," she said, in her thick English accent, "and this is... Quite the party you have here."

Robin nodded, looking back at Caroline and that cupcake of hers. "We have a party for her at Granny's every year. I just... Can't believe she's ten already."

Scratching the back of his head, Robin figured he was probably making the conversation way more awkward than it needed to be. But he couldn't help it; it wasn't every day that a person he didn't know showed up to his daughter's birthday party. He cursed himself for being too nice to simply say "who gave you the right to barge in here?" or "where the hell did you come from?"

"Caroline is such a lovely girl. She was kind enough to keep me company here at Granny's one evening. I can't believe how good the food is here- I've gotten the same chicken salad and the same cheesecake from here for as long as I've been here."

She was smart, Robin concluded. Obviously she figured he would have no idea who she was. The woman, _Zelena_ , seemed to know what she was talking about, with her head held high and her smile ongoing. The fact that Robin was just now meeting her, this supposed friend of his daughter, made him feel bad about never noticing her around town before. But how could Caroline never have told him or her mother about inviting this woman?

The sudden rush of pity made Robin drop the suspicious demeanor all together. "So, where do you work? I'm... sorry to say I can't recall seeing you around town."

Zelena's expression never changed- she had been positive, radiant, and enthusiastic throughout the entire conversation. Maybe it was to make him feel better.

"I don't expect you to know who I am," she began, "I've been cooped up in the hospital for years. I worked as an intern for Dr. Whale for a while before becoming a midwife. Storybrooke has had a 76 percent increase in infant births since 1978?"

It was true, Robin rarely visited the hospital- he hadn't in several years. "I didn't know that. Actually," Robin shook his head in a laugh, "actually, it's funny you're a midwife. Caroline was born here at Granny's, during a horrible snowstorm. But, of course, we'll never tell her that."

That caused a slight glimmer of surprise to appear in her blue eyes. "You don't say," she replied, "that must've been terrible. Your wife is... Regina Mills, right? The mayor?"

He wasn't used to people not knowing his wife- everyone knew Regina Mills.

"Yeah, that's her. The evil queen." Robin chuckled, glancing in her direction again. She was finished with the cake, having started a conversation with Snow since then. Zelena followed his gaze, quickly wetting her lips as she eyed the smiling brunette from afar, her mind practically marveling with the idea of _superiority,_ the idea that her darling little sister had no idea that she was even there. In fact, everyone in the diner, all the supposed heroes, were daft enough to believe that they were safe.

"Quite the family you have," she said, after what felt like ages in her perspective, "Caroline is one lucky kid."

It wasn't until she said this that Robin noticed the black and green wrapped present in her hands. Zelena caught his eyes shifting downward, suddenly remembering herself that she was holding it.

"Oh, this is for Caroline- I just thought I'd stop by and give her something." She said, handing the box out towards him.

"Aren't you going to stay?" He asked, taken aback for a moment by the brief gesture.

"No, I should get back to the hospital- I don't want to intrude, it looks like Caroline is having fun."

Robin had no choice but to resign and take the gift from her, knowing she was right. "Okay, I'll make sure she gets this."

Zelena's smile broadened. "Great! Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Locksley, and I hope the rest of the party goes alright."

With another handshake and an exchange of goodbyes, Zelena was back out the door in a flash. Robin, still slightly confused, peered down at the present for a second before setting it down on the pile with the others.

He then talked to Regina, who of course was curious about the unrecognizable woman she saw him with, which lead to a transfer of confusion and a long series of questions that really had no answers. This went on until both of them realized that Killian was left to entertain the kids with the typical conversations about pirates. He was probably out of ideas, waiting for Robin or Regina to announce that it was time to open up the presents.

So they did, and soon the diner was alive with the sound of tearing paper and the occasional gasp of pure surprise. Her gifts were fit for a ten year old- Regina didn't like to use the word _expected_ , but that's what kind of gifts they were. Lip gloss, candy, a new wii game, about ten CDs, gum, blue shoelaces, socks from Will, they all began to pile up on one another- a stack of riches before a queen. Robin had the task of automatically placing another present in his daughter's hand to help speed things up. When he looked down and saw the black and green wrapping paper, he gave Regina a quick look. She seemed just as unsure as he was, but it wasn't like they could keep her from opening it. So Robin handed it to Caroline, explaining who it was from since it didn't have a tag.

"Zelena? Where is she?" She inquired, her exhausted brown eyes suddenly bursting with wonder as she scanned the room.

"She, uh, she had to leave." Robin told her, watching her excitement fade.

Caroline was disappointed, but she anticipated about what she had gotten her. She tore the paper nearly, unearthing a small unmarked box. Her audience was silent in their own form of anticipation, waiting for her to make the move. Effortlessly, Caroline opened the box, a smile blossoming across her face. She turned it around and showed her peers, as well as her parents. Inside the box was a pair of purple studded earrings.


	18. She's My Friend

* * *

Caroline stared long and hard at the box between her hands. The earrings were easily the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen, aside from her mother's wedding ring or any of Emma's necklaces. She was shocked to know that Zelena bought them for her, out of all the other gifts she could have received. Caroline liked how they glittered in a thousand different directions when she tilted them from side to side, how she imagined she would look in them... and how they made her feel _special_.

However, there was a catch to Zelena's unexpected present. Caroline didn't know why she didn't stay longer, to say hi, or at least long enough for her to open it so she could give her an over exasperated 'thank you' right then and there. But she was no where to be found- Caroline didn't even realize that she had come into Granny's in the first place, let alone spoke with her dad. That gave her a fluttered feeling in the pit of her stomach, like someone had picked her up and shaken her one too many times. She remembered spilling all those worrisome things to Zelena concerning her parents- about herself- personal things she really wouldn't have told anyone else. It just didn't seem right for them to meet- like oil refusing to have any connections with water. More importantly, as soon as she unwrapped the earrings, her entire family seemed to slam on the breaks- shut down, transform into people she had never seen before. Everyone looked cautious, unsure of things, and completely blindsided. They cast nervous glances towards one another in hope of finding clarity, only to become more muddled and skittish than they were to begin with. Ruby, Henry, even Roland couldn't cover up their slightly shocked, mesmerized expressions, no matter how many fake smiles they sent her way. Everyone seemed to drift their odd body language towards Robin and Regina, who both had completely unrecognizable expressions on their faces. That's how Caroline definitely knew that something was up.

When they got home, Robin offered ice cream, which, of course, was an offer the now ten year old couldn't refuse. It wasn't until she sat down at the kitchen table, with her mother and father sitting across from her, that a strong and formidable barrier between her and the rest of the world, that Caroline realized that she had fallen right into their trap.

"This is about Zelena, isn't it," she stated nervously, the question rushing out of her before she could push it back.

Her mother nodded. Caroline noticed that her hand was covered by her father's, and that her eyes weren't filled with the confidence they always bestowed. Her father looked the same way, though he was clearly trying harder to put on a strong face. It sent shivers down her spine.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

"I- we- just want to know why you've never mentioned her before." Regina attempted, her gaze shooting right through her, like her daughter wasn't even there.

"You've never done this before, kept someone from us. Out of everyone in this town, why choose a middle aged midwife?"

"Because she's nice to me," Caroline defended, "and she doesn't know a lot of other people here. She's interesting and she's fun to talk to."

"We just don't know who she is, honey," Robin added in, "don't you think it's a bit odd that your mother, the mayor, hasn't met her?"

"Not only that; she's not in any of the censuses, either," Regina finished, her voice instantly darker and slightly brash. As a result, the hand over hers squeezed slightly.

"Don't gang up on her like that. She was just being nice. She's my _friend."_

 _"_ We're not trying to, Caroline. I just.. I don't have a good feeling about her. And the earrings she got you... They're really expensive. Whether we know her or not, I don't feel comfortable with you receiving such a valuable gift. You need to go back to her house and return it."

A force purely unexplainable to the child knocked into her like a cinder block. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't even feel. The warm brown eyes that belonged to her mother were no longer the trusting and kind; they were meaningless. A void of nothing. Caroline had never felt such a terror in her life.

"I can't believe you don't want me to have a friend," she muttered, realizing there were tears accumulating in the corners of her eyes.

Regina hated feeling so helpless. She wanted to erase the last day of her life and simply move on. They were supposed to be free from all of the unnecessary turmoil- things were supposed to be smooth sailing after she met her soulmate. But fate simply couldn't let that happen.

"If you don't go right now, I'll have to come with you."

Caroline kept her betrayed gaze locked onto her mother, an immovable death trap that was slowly taking the life of both participants. She had just about forgotten about her father being there. Finally, the ten year old snapped, giving out from the pressure and letting her eyes fall to the ground. She had lost the battle. Inside, she knew she would. There was no way she could go up against the Evil Queen and actually win.

"Fine. I'll give them back." She said forcefully, ungracefully scooting back her chair and popping up to a stand, snatching the box and stomping towards the door. Regina didn't watch her daughter leave. She couldn't. She continued to stare off into nothing as Robin continued to squeeze her hand. She could tell he was angry too; whether that anger stemmed from the eerie feeling about the stranger in Storybrooke or her own bad parenting, she couldn't tell.

* * *

The forest seemed almost foreign to her as she raced through it. She couldn't keep her mind at a constant thought for more than a few seconds. None of it mattered, and she didn't care about it. The one person she managed to become close to was the one person her parents forbade her from seeing. They didn't understand. They didn't know anything. Maybe it was possible for her mother to have once been the Evil Queen- until then, Caroline couldn't picture it. The stories of heroic princesses and noble knights all seemed unrealistic to her, until she realized that all of those stories had one thing in common. _Pain_. The earth shattering moment that changed the direction of one's life.

The cabin was soon in sight, dark and blended in with the surrounding trees. Caroline had to slow her pace in hope of preserving some of her sanity; she had a fear inside that her mother was following her. But she knew she had to be overreacting. She was in control of her life, she knew who her parents were, and more importantly, who Zelena was. Her placid life would continue to stay steady- fairytales weren't a part of her life. She was a normal kid living in a world of promise.

If that was so, why was she scrambling around the forest rethinking everything about her life?

She had no time to think of an answer, for in a matter of seconds she was standing on Zelena's front porch and pounding on the wooden front door as desperately as her small, tired physique could.

The door opened almost immediately after. Caroline's eyes took a moment to adjust to the blinding light that flowed down the porch and out into the black blanketed forest. Zelena looked down at the child with concern written on her face, wordless towards the girl that looked completely bedeviled with grief and torment. With tears still in her eyes, Caroline couldn't help but note how beautiful Zelena always looked. It was fairly late into the night, yet she looked pristine in a simple pair of blue jeans and a black top. Her fiery red hair was wild with curls, and her bright blue eyes, though filled with worry, looked as welcoming as a cloudless summer sky. Surrounded by the intense light, Zelena seemed to be the savior to all of her worries.

Caroline wanted to cling to her and cry like she had done in the past; but she couldn't do that to herself, not with knowing that she would probably never see the woman again.

"What are you doing here? It's still your birthday... Why aren't you with your family?"

Caroline felt defeated, battered, and just plain exhausted. But she continued to gather as much confidence as she could, trying her best not to let the pain she was feeling on the inside show.

"I, uh, my mom... She wants me to give this back to you."

Caroline hated how weak her voice sounded when it was spoken out loud. She hated how the cold made her shiver like a puppy, and how controlling her mother was over her life. Then again, she was the mayor.

"Here, come inside. We'll discuss this over a mug of cocoa- I still have some left from your last visit."

Seeing how warm it was inside compared to the frigidness of the forest gave the ten year old an easy decision. The cheerfulness laced in Zelena's English accent only made Caroline feel even worse about herself- she clearly didn't understand what was happening.

She took a seat down on the couch and slumped back into it, holding the black box between her hands. A blue mug steaming with heat was soon presented to her. Caroline contemplated taking a sip. As enticing as it was, she couldn't pretend that they were having a friendly visit.

"T-they're really nice earrings, but I can't keep them. I'm sorry."

She blurted the words out unevenly, feeling awkward and nervous and terrified all at the same time. The feeling caused her nerves to wreck havoc inside of her. Caroline waited painstakingly long seconds for the woman to respond- just a word was all she needed. But for what seemed like an eternity, Zelena gave her a perplexed look, as if there was something about she said that she just didn't understand. On the other hand, perhaps she was thinking up the right response.

"Zelena?" The girl spoke into the blank air, ashamed of herself for feeling so desperate. "I can't keep these. My parents are making a huge deal about not knowing you- I tried to tell them you're my friend. But they won't listen."

Her small voice was enough to get a reaction from the woman. Setting her mug down, Zelena raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. She was still standing, and that was starting to make Caroline uncomfortable.

"Well, if your parents don't want you to have them, there's really nothing I can do about it. You don't have to worry about the price- I found them in some of my old boxes from ages ago."

"But that was the best present anyone has ever given me!" She blurted out, with eyes full of innocence. "You can't just play it off like it was nothing!"

Her words seemed to have an effect on the wicked witch- Zelena paused for a moment, giving the girl a thoughtful look with her bright blue eyes. After a quick second, she flashed an enticing smile.

"Well, try them on then."

Her request was matched with a heavy silence.

"Huh?" Caroline questioned, "try them on?"

Zelena shrugged. "Why not? So you can, you know, enjoy them for a little bit. I'm sure they'd go perfect with your eyes."

Instantly, Caroline's gaze shifted back down to the box in her lap. The idea automatically registered as wrong in her mind; her mother would say it would be intrusive. But, the girl also knew it would be impolite. Most importantly, she was a friend- why not have a little fun?

"I... I don't even know how to put on earrings," Caroline admitted, a blush blooming across her cheeks, "I've never taken these ones off before."

"Never?" Zelena asked, raising an eyebrow, "sounds like a challenge. I'm always up for a good fashion crisis. The question is..." She paused, her expression both dubious and excited, "do you trust me?"

Suddenly, the air was charged with something new, something that sent a positively wonderful feeling through the ten year old's veins.

Zelena knew she had her answer before Caroline said a single word.


	19. The Cost of a Secret

Regina couldn't keep her eyes off the front door.

With every second that ticked by, her worries grew stronger and stronger. She just wanted her daughter to come back, for the last 24 hours of their lives to have never happened. There was an ache in her chest, a twisted, heavy knot that she recognized all too well. Regina hated herself for letting things spiral out of her control; she did that with Owen what seemed like centuries ago, and she even did that with her own son. It alarmed her, this strange connection to her former self. After everything she had endured though, with Robin and with herself, she thought she had left the last traces of that Regina behind.

"Regina, if you continue to stare at that door any longer, it'll probably burst into flames."

Turning her head towards her husband, Regina realized there were tears pooled in her eyes.

"I just... I want her back. I want her in my arms, Robin."

Seeing her distress automatically softened his emotions. Walking over towards her, he gently encased her in his arms and pulled her close.

"I know. And she will come back- she loves you."

Regina allowed herself to loosen up in his arms, though her nerves were serving as an electric current throughout her body.

"But that doesn't change the fact that I messed up," she stated bluntly, a tear trailing down her cheek, "it's my fault that this has gone as far as it did. I should've spent more time with her instead of getting my job back. If I would've known she was spending so much time with that woman..."

"Regina, stop that. This has nothing to do with you. And this woman... She seems alright. I think she's just trying to be nice to Caroline."

Letting her tears soak into the fabric of Robin's shirt, Regina tightened her grip around him. "She's our age! I get it if she gave her a tiny bit of pity, but not like this. I don't feel right about this at all."

When Robin didn't respond, she assumed it meant he felt the same way.

"We should've went with her, why didn't we? She's out there somewhere. And the earrings... That can't be a coincidence." The last words lowered her voice as if they had fallen down a sharp cliff. Her eyes connected with her husband's in search for confirmation. In the ten years they had been married, all of their decisions had been mutual.

His face set in perplexity, Robin took a few moments before providing an answer.

"Uh..."

"Are you saying Caroline is in trouble?" The voice of their fifteen year old intervened from the top of the staircase.

Both Robin and Regina swirled around, completely off guard. Neither of them knew who was going to take charge of the upcoming conversation.

"No, your sister is not in trouble." Robin finally answered, before the silence became too unbearable. "We're just... Discussing the gift Zelena got her, that's all."

Remaining on the top of the staircase, Roland did not seem impressed with his father's answer.

"You seem to forget that I've been here the entire day. After you forgot about me at Granny's, Will had to drive me home because Henry left with Grace." He paused, a teenage glint of betrayal in his eyes. "I heard you two chewing her out- I heard the whole thing. Why does it matter if some lady with an English accent gave her some earrings?"

Regina drew in an uneasy breath. Battling with two out of three kids wasn't what she was expecting to accomplish on the date of her daughter's birthday party.

"Because she's ten years old and doesn't need to be taking such expensive gifts from people she doesn't know very well."

Roland began his way down the stairs, his perplexed look only growing as he went.

"Yeah, that's what you told her," he said, looking his parents straight in the eye. It was bold and it was slightly intimidating; he had already passed Regina's height, continuing to grow at a rate that would most likely pass Robin's height as well. The son of a thief, with the instincts of an archer.

"Alright, fine." Robin blurted out, causing a wide eyed look of surprise from his wife. "Your sister has magic. We- we didn't want to tell you because we didn't want to risk Caroline finding out."

There was a long, delayed silence that followed. Regina practically grimaced through clenched teeth; the torture of silence was far worse than any immediate anger her son could have showed. But that was the price of keeping the secret, and she knew that far better than she ever wanted to. Secrets were dark voids of distrust and heavily concentrated anger. Unfortunately, they also carried the promise of a carefree life, one buried within ignorance.

"The earrings she wears contains powers strong enough to control her own. When you were four years old... There was an accident. That's when we swore we would wait until she was older to tell her."

His darkened eyes narrowed. "What kind of accident?"

"Her magic went haywire. It landed you in a coma for about eight days."

"-we did everything we did in your best interest-"

"Save it, Mom," Roland sighed, turning back to his father. "So I almost died? And nobody thought it was a good idea to tell me?"

Robin lowered his eyes. He could feel the pain radiating off of Regina like waves of heat.

"I'm- we're- so sorry, Roland. Magic always has a price, and we don't have any intention of destroying the peace in this town."

Again, more silence. Regina wished she could read his mind and see what he was thinking about.

"She's really in trouble isn't she," he muttered, "look, if you guys gotta go save her, then do it."

Regina shook her head, forcing her emotions down. "We don't know where this woman lives- we don't even know who she is."

"She lives in the woods, in that old farmhouse at the edge of the clearing. I saw her walking down the path more than once. See," he said wryly, something Robin found remarkably familiar, "you two aren't the only ones who have secrets."

* * *

Caroline flinched as a slight prick sent a spark of pain to her ear.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," Zelena said in a worried tone, "it's difficult to do this on someone else."

She was hovering over the girl, her eyes set in precision as she worked the second earring through her right ear. Caroline could feel her warm breath on her cheek.

"There we go," she announced triumphantly, after taking a step back to admire her success. "Look at you, Caroline Hood. You're such a pretty girl."

Caroline smiled timidly. "Thanks," she replied in a soft voice, a growing confusion entering her mind. She kept thinking the same thing- _now_ _what?_ Zelena seemed to have a clear idea on what was happening. To the ten year old, however, she was on a mission to politely give back the earrings her mother so strongly disapproved of.

"You seemed angry when you came here," Zelena continued, "are you angry with your mother for making you give the earrings back?"

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I am... But you know what's weird? My mom and I have never fought like this before. Ever. After the party though... She was really mad. I don't think I did anything wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, I promise. People will disappoint you your entire life, Caroline. You just have to accept it- no matter how much they change, they will always be the selfish, conniving people they are. And when no one else is there for you, one thing will be. Rage. And loathing, hatred, a darkness so deep and endless it consumes your entire soul-"

"Stop! Stop it!" Caroline yelled, a helpless burst of sound cutting Zelena off abruptly. "What are you doing?"

The girl swore she saw a glimpse of something new in her eyes. But, as quickly as it appeared, it was replaced by another tender smile and a deep breath.

"Sorry, I just wanted to... Show you something."

"What?"

Zelena gestured to her left; Caroline's terrified gaze was soon matched with a blue coffee mug filled with cooled hot cocoa- a mug that was two feet off the table it was originally placed on.

"Zelena, why are you doing that?"

"I'm not. You are."

Another moment of agonizing silence passed. Caroline's eyes, however, never once left Zelena's.

"No. I-"

Her voice was paper thin, yet carried an unusual amount of force between the two.

"Caroline, I swear it's not me. I knew there was something special about you since the first time we talked."

The contrast in her expression brought continued waves of confusion towards the ten year old. She couldn't deny the feeling of hyperactivity in both the tips of her fingers and the core of her body; it was as if a switch had been turned on that she never even knew existed. Somewhere deep inside, Caroline knew she was telling her nothing but the truth.

"Your earrings must have blocked the magical currents in your body. I just can't believe I haven't seen it until now."

Her words slipped into silence and left nothing in return. An instinctive snap occurred inside of Caroline's head then, a painful realization that shot through her in a split second; it sounded deafening in her ears.

"I- I've got to go."

She felt sick as she grabbed for the earrings in front of her, refusing to give Zelena a second glance. The door to the farmhouse slammed shut seconds later, followed by the mug smashing to the ground.

Caroline didn't pay any attention to the pins digging into her palms; she simply ran and ran.

Nothing mattered. Her family was the last group people she ever wanted to see.

She had been _lied_ to.


	20. Gruesome Reality

The weather seemed to fit her mood perfectly- clouds were packed together in the sky, forming a formidable barrier of white and grey. Though stingingly numbing, the air carried a heaviness to it, preluding to a dismal evening of thundershowers. She wondered if the climate change was a result of her magical discovery; it was possible, even though she thought she had tamed it by putting the earrings back on, capping the power.

_Was this what it was like to have magic?_

If one was to ask Caroline Hood about her perception of magic, she would respond with the same, aimless words: "Only special people have magic- like Mom. Like Rumplestiltskin. It sounds like a huge responsibility. What if someone makes a mistake and does something wrong?"

The thought of her carrying a responsibility so powerful never once crossed her mind. She cursed herself for being so juvenile. Did her brothers know? She didn't care. Wherever she was, running through the depths of the forest, it was where she was meant to be- away from people, particularly her family. Her heart felt like it was about ready to explode from all the emotions within her. Her past, present, and especially her future were just as cloudy as the sky up above. So much for her feeling like an equal. Out of the four other members of her family, plus Emma, Snow, Killian, Charming and Will, not one of them had told her the truth. The truth stung more than the frigid wind pushing against her face. Fear was beginning to catch up to her despite how fast she ran- she hated herself for feeling scared in those woods, but that was her unfortunate reality. Even the trees were beginning to look threatening to her. Heaving her breaths, Caroline desperately looked around for a way out of the maze she had put herself into. She slowed to a stop, her hair draping over her eyes as she bent over, her hands on her knees as she panted. Before defeat overtook her, she spotted a car speeding by, indicating that there was a road not too far up ahead. With that guarantee, Caroline found the strength she needed to continue. She ran and ran, feeling numbness overtake her with each and every passing second. Finally the girl reached the side of the road, halting to a stop when she saw gravel beneath her shoes. She checked for any oncoming traffic before starting down the road, freezing in place when she caught sight of two people walking towards her, hand in hand, both with worried, desperate looks on their faces.

"Oh God- Caroline! What are you doing all the way out here?" Her father called out, running towards her.

Immediately, she turned around and walked away with a heavy scowl, digging her hands further into her pockets for warmth. "Go away!" She yelled back, "I don't want to talk to you guys!"

But, as she suspected, her father ignored her and reached for her shoulder, forcing her to a halt.

"Caroline, what happened?"

She couldn't look at him- instead, she focused on the stray pieces of gravel peppered on the road by his shoes.

"I'm not really in the mood to talk," she muttered, her ears ringing with the sound of her blood pumping.

"It's freezing out here," Regina stated, tightening her scarf, "let's get you back to the house, then we can talk."

She gently set her hand on her daughter's shoulder in an attempt to soothe her- Caroline stepped back and glared at her, looking her mother straight in the eyes.

"No!"

It was a tone of voice neither of them knew existed in their sweet child. Yet there she was, newly ten years of age, with tears sliding down her freckled face and fists balled up at her sides.

"You- you both lied to me!" She continued, her aggressive tone quickly crumbling before her.

Robin and Regina could only stare in a ghostly silence. "Lied about what?"

"Everything! Wh-who I am, what I am, everything!" It took everything she had not to completely fall apart in front of them. She heaved in breaths of crisp air; the entire world seemed to be spinning around her.

"Caroline, let's go to the car at least. You look so pale." Robin offered, his face showing concern.

"I'm not going anywhere with you! Why don't you understand that? You people never bothered to tell me the most important news of my life! That I have... M- magic. I have magic."

Her parents only had about two seconds to register the gruesome reality before Caroline fell forward, her legs giving out from underneath her. Robin quickly caught her limp body and positioned her comfortably in his arms; Regina brought her hand up to her mouth in shock, holding back tears as they silently began their walk back to their car.

* * *

The house had fallen under an unsettling spell. All of them felt it, the cruel, spiteful feeling of mistrust and wrongdoing that settled quickly in their bones, making it impossible to remember any of the good times they had spent together in the vast white house. Both Henry and Roland paced the halls uncomfortably, terrified to make any comment about their parents carrying their unconscious sister up to her room. After all the years Henry had spent seeing his mother stressed, filled with aguish and a tenuous look look in her eyes, he knew better than to get in her way. Regina was on the verge of tears from the second she arrived home; it only escalated as the minutes dragged on. He and his brother paced back and forth like hyper-energetic children trapped somewhere they didn't belong. It was slightly shameful, considering he was twenty three and living life on his own, but never before has the sanctity of his family been at stake. Part of him almost felt twelve again.

"How the hell did that woman find out she had magic?" Regina asked forcefully, though she felt completely helpless and weak.

"I don't know," the thief replied simply, "but we can't blame Zelena. We don't know what happened."

The comment immediately froze all of the thoughts that were raging in her mind- she gave him a disbelieved look, everything about her demeanor distressed and disheveled. Robin hardly ever saw her this way.

"You're defending her now? Ever since she's been in Caroline's life, our lives have been hell. She has to have some plan, a secret motive-"

"We can't afford to think that way," he told her, "you made me see the good in people, even when things get bad."

She stifled a sob, her vision quickly blurring again. "She'll be awake any second... I can't stand to see her so angry. She-she looked right at me with those eyes. She hates me." Regina's voice promptly shattered to pieces; she felt the shards dig into her skin with intentions of tearing her to shreds.

"Don't say that," Robin insisted, stepping forward and capturing her in his arms. "She doesn't hate you. How could she? You're the most amazing person I've ever met."

He stroked her back and inhaled the scent of her hair as she cried, her body molding into his.

"Everything will be okay. Just wait, you'll see. You should get some rest. If Caroline wakes up, I'll convince her to wait until morning to talk."

"You make everything sound so easy," she managed to say, though his proposition sounded absolutely incredulous. She was still feeling under the weather; her body ached for relief.

"It can be, if you let it." He said, drawing back to look into her eyes. "I promise. And hey," he walked over to a small black pot on the table. "I almost forgot to tell you. Snow left some soup on our doorstep while we were gone. I can heat some up for you if you promise to get some sleep."

She couldn't say no to that, no matter how much her mind refused.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Robin replied, leaning forward to kiss her, "so much. Just trust me on this- things will get better."

As she watched him carry the soup out of the bedroom and down the staircase, she couldn't help but swallow the lump in her throat and climb into bed, still fully dressed, hoping with everything she had that things would get better.


	21. Sister Mine

Nothingness. That was what Regina Mills felt inside as she slept fitfully through the unbearably long night. She slipped in and out of a deep slumber, drifting through a void of her innermost and close-kept memories, all robbing her of the peace she needed more than anything. Though her body was at rest, her mind was streaming with unwanted thoughts. She saw nothing but blackness in front of her, yet she felt years worth of terror, stress, and anger. It was hell. She had never experienced anything like it in her life.

Suddenly, the dark scene shifted before her. Regina was now standing within four walls and a warped hardwood floor; she could feel cold in the air and hear a breeze rustling outside.

Everything was so _real_.

Glancing around in a paralyzed caution, Regina realized that she had no idea where she was. She closed her eyes and willed her mind to wake up, but nothing happened. The situation she was in was far out of her control. Though the cabin was almost completely dark, the features of the room stood out strongly against the blackness. Surprisingly, the features reminisced themselves as regal, rather than the typical setting of a cabin in rural Maine. She took a step forward, which was met with a loud and frightening groan from the loose boards beneath. That was matched by another more forceful step, followed by a series of strides until she reached the front door. She pulled it roughly- again, nothing happened.

"Ah, you're finally here," a voice sounded from behind her, instantly triggering a fear that spread across her body like wildfire. Whipping around, Regina's chilling suspicions were answered when she saw the woman standing before her, arms crossed in a powerful stance, with eyes so icy blue Regina felt frozen in place.

"I was beginning to think you didn't eat any of the soup. Did you like it? The previous owner of this house left the cutest little recipe book. Add a little nightshade root and... Well, you get the idea."

Still stunned, Regina couldn't find the comeback she was searching for. "W-what are you talking about? This isn't real. This is all in my head."

Zelena let out a small chuckle. "Do you honestly believe that?" She then outstretched her arms out to gesture around the room they were in. "Despite what you think, you aren't in control here. I am." Her last words were cold and offered nothing but a threat to the other woman.

"Then what exactly am I doing here?" Regina responded, her eyes narrowing instinctively.

Zelena then took three steps in her direction, sauntering in a prideful manner that was almost sickening to witness. "I have some things I need to discuss with you."

Irritation began to run red in her vision; her unexpected visit to Zelena's quaint cabin in the woods was rapidly becoming a nightmare from hell.

"Then what is it you'd like to discuss with me, woman I've never met before? Please, do tell me why you drugged me and brought me to this lovely establishment in the middle of nowhere." Regina quipped, malice rising in her voice.

Zelena released a shrill laugh. "Now there's the evil queen everyone's been talking about!" Clasping her hands together, the woman took three steps closer to where Regina was standing. "I suppose introductions are in order- I'm Zelena, and for the past eight years, I've ruled over the land of Oz. I'm the most powerful witch in all the realms-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. What does that have to do with me? What do you want?"

Her question was met with a imminent smile- one that felt like a dagger slicing right through her soul. "Isn't it obvious? I want your daughter. I want all that precious magic that resides inside of her and I want it all for myself."

Instinctively, Regina opened her palm and willed a ball of fire to incinerate her newfound enemy. Instead, however, nothing happened. _Nothing happening_ was becoming a bothersome.

"Sorry. my nightmare, my rules," Zelena said, her voice saturated with success. "This is all far too easy. You should really teach Caroline to avoid talking to strangers."

In a split second, the entire entity of the situation had changed completely. Regina was used to a good fight- she had been well versed in the art of taking down worthy opponents. But with her own child involved, her very flesh and blood? The once powerful and condescending woman was now a whirlwind of strangling fear.

"You're sick." Regina managed to speak, her words barely audible. "You're absolutely sick in the head. She's only ten years old."

"God, who are you now, the saint that fights against all evil? We both know that you would've done the exact same thing during your long reign as the Evil Queen. And you would've absolutely loved it- feeling her pure innocence draining from her body and entering yours."

Regina could feel each individual breath seething between her tightly clenched teeth. It was enough torture already that she couldn't hurt the red headed nuisance; but having no control over when she could leave? The magic she was experiencing was powerful and extremely rare. There was a small voice in the back of her mind begging for attention, one that told her that the woman before her held a danger that even she didn't know how to control. She tried to weigh her options, but there were hardly any options to choose from. One thing was certain- she had to make sure her only daughter was safe from harm.

"Just... Tell me what you want from me."

Another dangerous flame danced within Zelena's startling blue eyes, accompanied by a wicked smile. "Oh, I don't want anything from you. I actually brought you here to tell you something. Something very important." She then leaned forward, so close to the other woman that her breath grazed her cheek. "You and I share something in common, my dear. A mother."


	22. Panic Cord

Eyes shot open in the dark. Suddenly the terror Regina had faced was replaced by pure tranquillity in the dead of night and a warm, comfortable bed. For a second, before she knew where she was, Regina truly felt like she felt nothing; _dead_.

Robin lay next to her, his breathing rhythmic and steadfast, just like it had always been. A few seconds ticked by. Regina could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins. If she didn't move fast, she feared her heart would explode in her chest. In quick, stunted movements, Regina sat up, careful to not make a sound as she moved one leg at a time over the edge of the bed. After that, she was on auto pilot: pants, shirt, shoes. Everything in her mind was direct and clear.

Starting down the hallway, Regina walked past Roland's room, then Caroline's. She was a ghost in the dead of night, unseen and undetected. Although it was pitch black, she paused directly in front of the hall closet, wrapping her hand around the doorknob and opening slowly. Kneeling down, she began sifting through objects that cluttered the floor: well-worn board games, loose files, coats that were carelessly tossed without a second thought. Behind all the clutter revealed an auspicious looking cedar chest. Regina used both arms to drag it towards her body, softening the creak as best she could as she opened the lid. The first items seen in the chest were pleasant ones, items that could easily fool a prodding stranger- Roland's adoption papers, Caroline's birth certificate, a few framed wedding photos. After that layer was removed, however, it revealed something dark and forbidding. Regina swore she felt a dull shock to her fingers as they grazed past a purple satin dress that once belonged to her mother. The thought of Cora was enough to send her out of her focused trance. She could never truly be free of her, nor rid of the demons that she passed on. Regina's own daughter felt just as betrayed and alone as she herself once did.

She forced the thought out of her head and continued digging, concentrating on the rhythmic sound of her exhale. The farther she dug, the nice, mediocre life she had foraged for herself became more and more disillusioned. Finally, her fingers found a worn piece of parchment paper. She pulled it out of the chest and directly pushed it into her back pocket, knowing exactly what the words on the parchment read. Uncharacteristically leaving the hallway mess as it was, Regina raced down the stairs, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.

Headlights cut through the misty air, cold still hanging around in clouds of breath. Although Regina had created every cubic foot of the town of Storybrooke, she still found herself at a loss at where exactly to find the alluring red headed woman who lived somewhere in the woods. Anger continued to fuel her motivation to peruse the woman; if Caroline's safety was in danger, she would do anything in her power to put a stop to it. Her stress deepened with every blind turn, hardly noticing the increasing speedometer. In no time at all, she was surrounded by trees. Panic blurred her senses, unearthing a version of herself that had not been seen in a decade.

However, everything became suddenly clear when the outline of a farmhouse appeared at the end of the road, a single light glowing through the window. She exhaled, feeling a chill within her as she stared back at the ghostly house. What she going to do was still a mystery- the Evil Queen would surely know how to handle this situation. Sadly, Regina wasn't sure if she still existed. Living in suburbia took more of a toll than she realized. A shadow moved behind the curtain drawn front windows, snapping Regina out of her wary state- she found herself marching up to the front door within seconds.

The door opened, revealing a red haired woman in an emerald green blazer. She had been awaiting her arrival, clearly.

"Bit early in the morning for guests, don't you think?"

Regina withheld a response as she continued to analyze the person who was trying to sabotage her family. "I'm guessing you enchanted the soup? The hallucination spell?"

Zelena revealed a menacing smile, accepting the challenge. "Thought your little housewife routine might need a little sprucing up," she quipped, opening the door wider, "won't you come in? I make a wicked gin and tonic."

Unamused, Regina stepped into the house, grateful to get out of the cold. She could tell Zelena was putting on a mean face for show, and it wasn't convincing for one second. It may have been a while since she had to bring out her tough side, but she was still the baddest bitch in Storybrooke.

"So let's cut the bullshit, shall we?" Regina began, watching her pour the liquor, "why do you want my daughter's magic?"

Zelena simply laughed in response, handing her a glass. "Now why would I tell you that? There's so many other things we could talk about."

Tossing back the gin in a single shot, Regina wasted no time in making herself intimidating, leaning in towards the other woman with her menacing glare. "I'm not here to chat. You are a threat to my family, and I can't have threats in my town."

Unfazed by the power move, Zelena sipped her drink with one hand and reached forward with the other, grabbing the paper that was sticking out of her back pocket. When Regina tried taking it back, she was instantly hit with a quick burst of magic that froze her in place. Zelena took a few steps backwards and began reading the letter out loud.

_Cora dear I finally got my hands on your first born. Never thought I'd find her, did you? Now I know why. She's the most powerful sorceress I've never encountered, even more powerful than you. Stunning, in every way._

Finishing her drink, Zelena locked eyes again with her statue of a guest, amusement glowing in her complexion.

"All this time, you thought this letter was about you, how sad... do you believe me now, Sis?"

She noticed the anger flare across her face, jaw tightly clenched and hands ready to attack.

"Everything I told you in that dream was true- Cora had me before she married your father, and she gave me up without a second thought. And you..." she glowered, her voice dropping dangerously low, "you took everything that was meant to be mine. I'm going to take it all from you, _everything._ You really thought that the Evil Queen could have a happy ending? I've seen what you've done; you're not fooling me for a second. I wonder- does your precious daughter know how many necks you've broken with that magic of yours, how many lives destroyed by your delusion over Snow White? Oh, and don't even get me started on that stepson of yours- he practically begged for more information on his birth mother. Quite the tight ship you run Regina. You can play the role of loving mother and doting wife all you want- but we both know who you are deep inside."

Regina then lunged forward, breaking through Zelena's spell and going straight for a chokehold. The redhead looked stunned as Regina slammed her against the wall, knocking the air right out of her.

"I will _not_ have anyone else tell me who I am and where my place in the world is," she demanded hotly, seething with anger "- and I've come too fucking far for someone like you to take it all away!"

Slowly Regina began to squeeze, dark magic running through her fingers. "If stopping you from taking my daughter means killing you right here, then so be it."

A swift kick to her middle gave Zelena the upper hand once again, sending a surge of green magic towards the other woman before she regained her footing. In a flash Regina was on her back, her face grimacing in pain. Zelena quickly had her pinned down with magic, violence gleaming through her eyes.

"If you kill me, Caroline will never forgive you," she responded, "I'm the only one who truly understands her- I haven't been feeding her lies like you have."

"I'm her mother." Regina shot back, feeling herself weaken by the second. "And I'd do anything to keep her safe."

Towering over her, Zelena conjured up a small vile and syringe, taking pleasure in filling the syringe with the mysterious liquid. Regina watched the needle in terror, knowing there could be a million things it could do to her. Just as Zelena opened her mouth, the door swung open, revealing a very disgruntled and out of breath thief.

"Regina!"

He seemed stunned walking into such a chaotic scene. Lunging forward, Zelena stopped him in mid motion, giving Regina the chance to break free from her grasp.

"Try anything and I'll kill him," the redhead said quickly, "he's not necessary for what I have planned."

Regina felt a jab to her chest that no magic could initiate. She wanted nothing more than this horrific night to end. "Let him go and we can talk this out without magic," she said calmly, her gaze never once leaving that of her husbands.

Zelena let out another obnoxious laugh. "I can't believe how pathetic you sound. Caroline deserves far better than you two."

With that, the hold on Robin was released, just as the syringe Zelena was holding came crashing into contact with Regina's neck. The liquid in the vile was injected into her system. Robin shoved Zelena out of the way as his wife fell to the ground gracefully, like the floor beneath her disappeared entirely. In a matter of seconds, his life was torn to shreds.

"What did you do to her?" Robin demanded, all of his emotions erupting at once.

Zelena seemed lost in her thoughts as she observed the two- the man shot up and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her roughly. "God damnit, what did you do?"

She seemed unfazed by this act. "Don't worry, she's not dead," -much to her dismay- "and it's not a sleeping curse, if you were wondering. It's something I came across from a new land- the victim is forced to relive their worst day over and over again, until the person who put them there releases them."

Pulling away from his tight grasp on her, she returned her focus to Regina. She instantly hated how peaceful she looked, given the nature of the curse she had just been out under.

"W-why are you doing this," exhaled Robin, his voice hoarse. "And what the hell do you want with our daughter?"

"Funny you should ask- I have the perfect proposition for you, Robin Hood. What I have planned requires more magic than I can create. Caroline, however, has exactly what I need. If you and her accompany me on a journey, I'll bring Regina back."

Back on his knees, Robin cradled his wife's head in his hands, tears forming in his blue eyes. "I can't put my daughter in harms way- I won't. Find someone else with magic."

"Do you not want to ever see your wife again?" Zelena demanded, quickly grow in irritated, "it has to be her. She has the strongest magic in this godforsaken town. Emma Swan, well she hasn't exactly been exercising her abilities. Rumplestiltskin is too old to do anything. This town is full of weak, pathetic people who've forgotten where they came from-"

"And what is your plan? Surely it wouldn't end well for my daughter."

"I'm going to go back in time," she replied curtly, noticing the look of confusion on his face, "I was robbed of a chance to be with my mother and claim the destiny that was meant for me. By going back to the moment when my mother left me, I can change history. And Caroline will be fine- I'll just take her magic."

By then, Robin's head was spinning. "You want me to leave my son without warning to follow you, with my daughter, back in time to the Enchanted Forest? And you expect me to go along with this?"

"No one else here can save her but me- there are infinite amounts of cursed realms out there, only I know which one her soul is in. As for your son- Roland, was it? You can write him a note explaining everything, I'm feeling charitable. But we're leaving tonight, as soon as possible."

Robin couldn't think over the sound of his heart pounding. Protecting his family was his only priority- and he knew this was not the way. Surely Emma could save Regina, or the fairies...

With a swift flick of her wrist, Zelena watched as the man lost consciousness and fell down next to his wife.

"Heroes," she scoffed, observing them for a moment before heading out the door. The next step in her plan was underway.


	23. Rude Awakening

He awoke to the blaring of his alarm clock, brutally letting him know that another day of school was waiting for him whether he liked it or not. Shutting it off with a groan, the fifteen year old sat up in his bed, preparing himself for whatever could be thrown at him that day like he always did. Why he couldn't just get those nagging thoughts out of his head and be positive was beyond him.

Throwing on a clean shirt and running a comb through his hair, Roland quickly became suspicious of how quiet his house was for a Wednesday morning.

"Caroline!" He shouted towards the hallway, "get up or you'll be late for school!"

There was no response.

Starting for her bedroom, Roland froze in his tracks when he saw the hall closet open, items strewn all over the floor.

"Mom? Dad?" He called urgently, racing towards their bedroom to find it completely empty. Their bedsheets were disheveled, evidence that they had both been there just hours before. Anxiety was quickly coursing through his body as thoughts began flashing across his mind.

"Caroline!"

His shout was a last resort; part of him knew she wasn't going to be there. He was right. In place of his sister was a note, in somebody's handwriting that wasn't recognizable. As Roland began to read the note, he quickly became too nauseous to concentrate on the words. He could've been standing in her bedroom for five minutes or five hours- all he could do was concentrate on his breathing and clear his mind. Eventually he once again felt the ground beneath him. Taking another breath, he headed swiftly towards the stairs and out the front door, breaking into a run down the middle of the street. If anyone could help him, it was Emma Swan.

* * *

A brilliant blue sky filled his vision, one so bright and daunting that it filled him with an absolute dread. Shooting upwards, Robin took in his new surroundings as best he could. Caroline was asleep next to him on a heap of grass, her peaceful demeanor painfully reminding him of the previous night. As if to deepen his doubts about the events that had happened just a few hours prior, the red headed woman appeared in his line of vision. She was awake and running a brush through her hair. He was up in an instant, anger mixing with his confusion as he came towards her.

"You better start talking," he said quietly through gritted teeth, yanking her to her feet. She then waved her hand effortlessly, creating a field of magic around them.

"Yell at me as loudly as you want, it's soundproof," Zelena said nonchalantly, before shoving him away from her. "But enough with the manhandling- I could destroy you if I wanted to. Just listen- I gave Caroline a false memory from last night to help her adjust to all of this- she thinks you came into her room and told her that I needed her help. See, I'm really not all bad-"

"Hold on, you're telling me that she willingly agreed to 'save the day' under false memories that you gave her, shortly after trapping her mother in Heaven knows where? You're a psychopath, that's what you are!"

Her eyes darkened. "I didn't need to bring you along here, Caroline is all I need to get what I want- I just thought it would be easier for her if you were here. You're just a petty thief, or rather, that's what you were before turning into Mr. Domestic bliss."

"Do you think Caroline will do anything for you once she knows what you did to her mother? She's not from this world, it's too dangerous-"

"Are you going to be the one to break the awful news to her?" Zelena challenged, "it might just break that innocent heart of hers. And she belongs in this realm, it's where she can begin to accept who she is. You really thought you could hide that from her?"

Arguing back and forth was beginning to seem pointless. Robin weighed his options in his head, truly at a loss of what to do.

"Just... where do we go from here," he finally said in an exhale, knowing Caroline would awaken soon. "I don't trust you one bit- my daughter's safety is all I care about. If you give your word about sparing her life and returning her to Storybrooke, you can take her powers for whatever time travel scheme you have planned. But swear to me that nothing will happen to her... or Regina. My kids need their mother."

He would need some time to figure out a plan on how to keep her magic, but for now, it seemed like the best thing to say. It had been a decade since Robin had last stepped foot in the Enchanted Forest; the land seemed barely recognizable to him. Heaven only knew how much it had changed since then.

Before Zelena could reply, she noticed Caroline sit up from the corner of her eye. She made the magic barrier around them disappear without a trace.

"Dad?" The girl asked weakly, glancing around in confusion just as he did, "is this the Enchanted Forest?"

His heart sank at the thought of lying to his daughter about Zelena's true intentions, especially since the woman had proven to be far more insane than anyone could have guessed. But a small part of him knew that at least for now, Zelena wouldn't do anything to put her in harms way.

"Yes it is," he replied, walking over to her and helping her to her feet. "Zelena and I were just talking about what the plan is."

Caroline's fascination with the world around her transformed into a smile when she saw Zelena. "I can't believe I'm actually here! Tell me what the plan is, I want to help you get your happy ending!"

Ruffling her soft brown hair, Zelena smiled down at the child. "I'm glad you're here. Yes- let's discuss the plan. Why don't we do it over some breakfast?"

Much to Caroline's delight, a full array of breakfast food was soon presented before them. Robin watched her and Zelena eat and chat about the Enchanted Forest, the sick feeling inside only growing stronger. Although his thoughts pushed for a way out of their current situation, the painful memory of Regina lying motionless on the ground. His inner turmoil was being contended with giggles and excited gasps over ogres, giants, and other things that were completely unknown to the ten year old.

"The Enchanted Forest is really almost as new to me as it is to you," Zelena admitted in between bites of food, "I was raised in a land called Oz- it's quite different than here actually."

"Like munchkins and yellow brick road type stuff?" Caroline's eyes were wide with excitement.

The woman nodded, her demeanor quickly shifting. "It wasn't all it was cracked up to be though... which is why I want to go back in time and change things."

Of course, she failed to mention then that changing the past would mean that the girl would cease to exist, all evidence of her wiped away like a receding wave. To her surprise, Zelena felt a twinge of remorse at the thought- she had gotten far closer to the girl than she expected to.

"So we're headed to Rumple's castle?" Robin asked, bringing her focus back to reality. "Tell me again why we can't just use your magic to get us there?"

Zelena shot him another irritated look. "Rumple may have not been to reclaim his castle in forty years, but that doesn't mean his protection spells have worn off. I can't risk it. It's about a three days journey from here."

"You couldn't get us any closer when you brought us here?"

Caroline sensed the distrust in her father's voice.

"This is the closest I could get under last nights circumstances," Zelena admitted, "but three days of walking never hurt anyone, right?"

Robin caved in and reached for a sausage, knowing he'd need the energy. "How did we get to the Enchanted Forest, by the way?"

She was beginning to admire his tenacity. "Oh, that's a story for later- in the meantime, let's focus on getting there. The only threat I was able to discover is a man named Fabian who named himself ruler over the Enchanted Forest. He doesn't have magic, as far as I know, but he does have an army. If we steer clear of anyone who looks like part of the royal guard, we should be fine- if we run into some trouble, we'll fend them off, won't we Caroline?"

The thought of learning how to use her magic absolutely thrilled her. "Is magic hereditary? Is there anyone else here in the Enchanted Forest who has it?"

"Not that I can tell, no," Zelena lied, knowing that the Ice Queen was lurking around waiting for her end of their deal. "People that have magic give off certain auras, and you can sort of... sense it, I suppose. You'll understand soon enough. And yes, most people inherit magic- it runs in a family."

If only she knew the truth.

"So your mom or dad has magic then?"

Zelena masked her amusement behind a simple smile. "Yes- that's definitely a conversation for another time."

She had no idea how truly alike they were.

* * *

The door to Emma's apartment burst open, revealing a very sweaty and panicked teenager. The blonde was in the middle of pouring herself a bowl of cereal when he entered, Killian sitting next to her at their small kitchen table.

"Whoa, kid- what the hell is going on?" Emma asked, immediately standing up and tending to him.

Roland couldn't find the words; he felt as if the anxiety inside of him would crush his heart into dust with every breath he took. He simply pressed the letter into her hands and let himself fall into the pirates open arms.

Emma's eyes widened in horror as she read the words written. "Oh God..."

She looked up at Killian. "Call my parents. Tell them to meet us at that old farmhouse on Rimrock drive- now."

Regina's black Mercedes was parked out front when they got there, along with their SUV. It was still early in the morning when Emma's car pulled up right next to theirs. Leaving the doors open, the three of them ran into the house to find it in complete disarray, Regina on the floor.

"Mom!" Roland cried out, he and Emma falling down to their knees beside her.

"She's alive, don't worry," she reassured, checking her pulse, "the letter said her soul is... trapped, somewhere?"

"There must be something we can do- she's probably somewhere horrible!"

Just then, Charming and Snow entered the scene, both gasping at the sight before them. "Here, read this," Killian instructed, handing them the letter, "it's from Zelena- who's apparently the Wicked Witch of the West."

After they were caught up to speed, Emma and Killian got Regina into David's truck. None of them wanted to stay inside that farmhouse for much longer.

"I guess we take her to the hospital and see what Whale says about all this?" Emma said, looking to her parents for approval. "In the meantime, are you two okay with sweeping this place for evidence? We could use anything on who Zelena is and what she has planned for Caroline."

They both nodded. Snow wrapped her arms around Roland and gave him a tight squeeze, feeling his overwhelming sadness radiate from him. "It'll be okay- our family has dealt with things like this before. It may not seem like it, but we will get through this."

Roland wanted so badly to believe her words, but everything felt so bleak then and there. His dad and little sister were in an entirely different realm with a complete psychopath, and his mom was trapped in her own personal hell. Why was he the only one left behind?

"Thanks Snow," was the only reply he could muster in that moment. She placed a hand lovingly to his cheek.

"We'll get in contact with the fairies and Rumple- meet at our place in an hour?" David proposed, casting a sideways glance at Regina slumped in the passenger seat, her head tilted to the side in a seemingly uncomfortable position.

"Yeah, works for me," Emma replied, before starting the car and heading for the hospital. She made calls out to Will, Ruby, Neal, and Henry, explaining the situation as best she could. Each call was inexplicably harder than the last.

After a few long hours of consulting with Doctor Whale about her condition, they were given the green light to take her home. Killian and David both helped carry Regina up the impossibly long staircase in her house, gently laying her down on her and Robin's bed. The bedroom was already a mess, and the heart monitor on wheels didn't help with that much. Seeing his mother with tubes stuck in her nose made the feeling of hopelessness worsen by the second. It had definitely been the worst day of his life.

"Kid, I know things look pretty bad right now..." Emma began, breaking the eerie silence in the room.

He didn't have the energy to say anything in return.

"This family is used to these kind of things happening," David jumped in, "we'll get all the spellbooks we can find, starting tomorrow."

By the time the Charmings had forced Roland to eat something for dinner, the sun had begun to sink in the sky. He kept thinking about where his mom was trapped and how much pain she could be in. Then there was the mystery of his dad and sister- if they were with the crazy redhead that cursed his mom, then they were definitely not safe. Much to his annoyance, Rumple and the rest of the gang wanted to put off meeting together until the next day, saying that rest was what they all needed. Roland wanted to act right there and then- there was no way he could sleep.

"You should stay with one of us tonight," Killian suggested, "maybe you'd get more sleep."

He immediately shook his head. "I'm not leaving her... I probably won't get much sleep anyways."

"We can all take turns sleeping here to make sure everything is okay," Snow added in. "She's family- we'll do anything to figure out how to break this curse."

Even after so many years, that line still felt a bit odd to say out loud. Roland agreed with reluctance, knowing that he couldn't argue with a family like his.

"You can stay with us tonight- we can start looking for some answers on how to get them all back." Will said, knowing Ruby would approve. Looking up, Roland met his eyes and felt a bit of calmness for the first time that day. He knew his uncle shared his same passion when it came to their family.

David and Snow agreed to take the first night in the house. Emma reluctantly headed back down the staircase and wrapped her arms around Killian, breathing out a sigh.

"Thanks for being there for me today," she said, wanting nothing more than to get back home. "This really is a mess, huh."

"Not a mess we can't fix. Don't forget Swan, you have some powerful magic."

His words stuck with her as they drove back to their apartment. After everything Regina had done to save their lives in the past, maybe it was her time to return the favor.


	24. Back in the Game

Ten years of dormancy really did take its toll. In the few hours they had been walking for under the wintery sun for, Robin already felt true exhaustion. He and the guys had a regular routine of working out after he got married, but as the years went on, it seemed to happen less and less often. Evenings of weightlifting soon turned into evenings of beer and whiskey- he was beginning to regret that. On top of the cold sweat and sore joints, he was juggling between figuring out his next move against Zelena and answering his daughters questions as they came at him a mile a minute.

"Are we close to where you and Will grew up?" She asked, seemingly oblivious to his inner turmoil. Dressed in a jacket and blue jeans, she didn't seem to be fazed by the light bits of snow on the ground. For the end of March, the winter was far more lenient than the one in Maine.

"Dad? Did you hear what I said?"

He turned his head towards her, trying to give her the attention she wanted. "Sort of, it's a little way from here," he said with a small smile, "our village was in the Sherwood Forest."

Thinking back to the days before he ran away from home was something the man rarely did. Sometimes random memories would flash through his dreams- a crack of morning sunlight through the trees, the stillness of the forest...

"What did you guys do for fun?" Caroline was quick to ask, keeping the conversation going, "I can't ever get Will to talk about childhood."

A tinge of guilt hit him- not only because he knew his brother's childhood wasn't great, but also because he had kept so much information from their past from his own daughter without even realizing it. Their life in Storybrooke was so carefree that it was easy to forget the past. But that didn't mean the past didn't happen. She deserved to know the truth, no matter how checkered or depressing it was.

"That's because he was on his own for most of it," he admitted with a sigh of relief. "I had a chance to leave, but Will was too young to come with me."

To his surprise, Caroline didn't seem too daunted by his words. "That must've been hard, Dad."

Her voice was full of compassion. "Do you ever miss your parents?"

He outstretched his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, bringing her near enough to plant a kiss on her head. "Not really, no. But I made my own family, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

Never in a million years would be have thought that one day he would be reunited with his little brother. Fate had a funny way of working out.

"Do you think the people here remember Mom as the Evil Queen?" She asked suddenly, looking up at him curiously. "Will they have awful things to say about her?"

It was something he hadn't thought about. "It's been such a long time since she was the Evil Queen- I'm sure everyone has moved on."

A few paces ahead of the two, Zelena couldn't help but audibly groan upon hearing that. She was already irritated with having to walk through a cold forest, and now she was stuck listening to more undeserving praises about Regina. Hate began to drive her thoughts once again, making her empathy towards Caroline diminish quickly. Her dream was so close to becoming a reality- all she had to do was hand the girl over to the Ice Queen. Whatever happened to her after that was beyond her control.

"Zelena!"

She spun around at the call of her name, realizing that Robin and Caroline were far behind.

"Why are you walking so fast?" The girl asked, out of breath by the time she caught up to her. "Can we take a break?"

Her anger simmered down at the sight of Caroline distressed and out of her element, fear showing through her soft brown eyes. She really had no idea what she was in for.

"Sure," she finally replied, "we could all use some lunch."

The ten year old waited for her to magically create a feast of food like she had done for their breakfast.

"It's not safe for me to use magic as we get closer to Rumple's castle- food duty is on you two. Make it something good." She turned to leave them to it, ignoring Caroline's shocked expression.

"Hold on, that's it?" Robin asked, equally as surprised.

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Did you not do this for nearly your entire life? I think you can handle it."

"Can I get a bow and some arrows at least?"

She thought it over for a moment but adhered to his request.

"Can we get some better clothes so we can fit in?" Caroline asked, "people are going to look at us weird."

She did have a point. With a wave of her hand and a cloud of green smoke, father and daughter transformed from blue jeans and jackets to neutral colored pants and wool shift, a cloak added in for warmth. Caroline was wearing a long skirt and a hooded cloak that covered her hair. As soon as she saw her dad, she burst into laughter. Robin even cracked a smile at the sight of her.

"You're really telling me that everyone in our family wore this stuff? All the time?" She exclaimed, her laughter echoing through the forest, "even Roland?"

He smiled. "Even Roland, for four whole years."

"You two better get started on lunch," Zelena intervened, "we're wasting daylight."

"And what are you going to do in our absence?" Robin asked, a glaring suspicion showing in his eyes.

She matched his boldness with annoyance. "I dunno, stare at these trees? Admire their stoic beauty?"

He didn't believe her but had no choice in the matter. Steering Caroline by the shoulders, he guided her deeper into the forest.

"Are we seriously going to kill something and then eat it?" She asked, horrified at the thought.

He smiled back at her, his confidence about being back in the Enchanted Forest increasing with every step. Now distanced from the crazed woman that threatened to destroy everything he held dear, he finally felt the familiar flush of exhilaration that came with being surrounded by trees. In that moment Robin remembered this feeling from his youth, and it made his smile broaden. He could hear the faint sound of his mother's voice as she worked tirelessly to keep their clothes washed and their mouths fed, telling him about why she named him Robin. The bird signified the beginning of spring, the start of a happier time for everyone. Looking down at his daughter as they trudged onward, tears welled in his eyes; he couldn't help it. The smell of fresh pine, twigs snapping as they walked... it was home to him, and ten years in Storybrooke had masked that.

He wanted Caroline to come to love the forest as he had at her age- under different circumstances, that was. For now, he would have to take in the good moments while he could.

* * *

Roland knew his mother would be livid over how many people were currently in her bedroom. Although she was more than willing to open her home up to friends and family, the master bedroom was her and Robin's private sanctuary, a place where all the outside worries disappeared. He had fond memories of he and his siblings all crowding atop their big bed, either in an attempt to harass their parents out of boredom on a Saturday morning or for late night snuggles after one of Henry's soccer games.

The teenager became even more wary when Rumple entered the room, the man commonly known for his tumultuous relationship with his mother. He looked noticeably older than the last time Roland had seen him, which he realized was quite a while ago. Rumple rested his weight on the cane he held at his side as he studied the unconscious woman, Belle lingering awkwardly at the door. Emma, Will, The Blue Fairy, and Snow where also in the room with them while the rest waited downstairs.

"The note said that whatever she was injected with sent her soul to a realm personalized for her suffering?" Rumple asked, noting the faint mark on her neck.

"Yup, that's about all it said- annoyingly vague." Emma answered with a sigh. "Got anything that could help?"

Belle then stepped into the room, carrying three fairly large books in her arms. "These were the books I found that related to souls being trapped... hopefully there's something in there that can help."

Snow walked over and took some of the books from her. "Thanks for finding these- we can get the guys to start reading downstairs."

Watching the two leave the room, Emma then turned to Roland. "How bout it kid, ready to read some books?"

"What about a locator spell?" He proposed instead of answering her question, "Will and I were looking into it last night. Maybe that'll give us more of an idea as to where she is?"

The question was intended for Rumplestiltskin, but he seemed lost in thought as he continued looking down at Regina.

"We could try," The Blue Fairy said, giving him a reassuring smile, "we need all the magic we can get."

Will put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Let's all meet up with the crowd downstairs, shall we? It's depressing in here."

They all slowly sifted out of the room, leaving Rumple alone. He reassured the group that he would be down in a few minutes. The sight of her lying there stirred up so much dread within him, for he knew of Zelena's relationship to her and what she was truly capable of. He remembered the first time he met Zelena, her rage over Regina so evident that it turned her skin green. He thought it was thrilling back then, the unfiltered anger; but now, he was scared that Regina wouldn't be able to overcome the spell that held her captive. Wherever she was, Rumple knew it was somewhere horrible. He also knew that he was partially responsible for creating that horrible reality for her in the first place. His relationship with Cora was just as clear to him then as it was the night she broke his heart- that was his curse, the price he had to pay for all the magic he possessed- he remembered _everything_.

As he looked down at Regina, he saw a timid little girl terrified of her mother, a teenager desperate for freedom, a depressed young woman with no control over anything, and yes, also an evil queen filled with sadness and hatred. He had been with her through it all, and he wasn't about to leave her now.

He finally braced himself to face the others downstairs. They were all grouped around different spellbooks, desperately looking for anything that could help. When he entered the living room, everyone's eyes turned to him, as if he could solve each problem with a simple wave of his hand.

"I do know something that will prove valuable," Rumple began, "I'm afraid it only worsens the situation."

Everyone waited in anticipation, their dreadful looks practically burning holes through the man's skin.

"This isn't easy to say but... Zelena is Regina's half sister- mother's side. That's why she's so hellbent on ruining her life."

Emma thought she was going to be sick. "Oh my g- does Robin know this?"

The answer was a silent and collective no.

"I only met her briefly, but it was obvious that she was driven by jealousy of everything Regina had in life. Cora abandoned her a few days after she was born; Zelena believes that she deserves the storyline that Regina had. Even back when our paths crossed, she was determined to make a time travel spell so she could carry out her plan."

His words cut like daggers, hanging uncomfortably in the room as everyone processed the insanity of what was said.

"So if Zelena succeeds..." David began, his voice trailing off. "Regina and Caroline will just..."

"Disappear from existence, yes," Rumple finished for him. He couldn't bear to look at Roland- just when he thought his life hit rock bottom, things managed to get worse.

"Thing is, there aren't any means of creating a time reversal spell in the Enchanted Forest- she must've found the ingredients in another realm."

"How do we know if they're already somewhere back in time?" Ruby asked, "or what realm they're in? They could be in Narnia for all we know!"

"I..." Rumple's voice quickly faltered, growing dizzy. Belle was at his side a second later, taking his arm and leading him over to the couch. He took a moment to regain his composure before continuing. "I'll know when magic that powerful has been enacted- perks of being the Dark One. As for which realm they're in, I can assure you it is still the Enchanted Forest. I have many protection spells within miles of my castle, so if anyone uses magic in the vicinity, I'll know about it. Zelena... her magic is very powerful."

"Why are they headed towards your castle?" Emma asked, "what's there that will help her get her time travel spell?"

Though still dizzy, the man scoffed. "A great deal of powerful things, Miss Swan."

Again, everyone turned silent, unsure of where to go from there.

"Well, it's pretty safe to assume that Zelena is gonna exploit Caroline's magic in order to get what she wants- if she succeeds, then Caroline will be gone forever. The only way to stop it is to get a message to Robin and figure out a way to kill the Wicked Witch"

"We could travel there and track them down," Will spoke up, holding Ruby's hand firmly, "Rubes here is a Werewolf for Christ's sake; if anyone can do it, she can. I know the Enchanted Forest pretty well myself- we can do it, we just need a portal."

The vigor in his voice was undeniable- everyone knew he was dead set on getting his family back.

"Come with me back to my shop. Between the fairies and I, we might be able to find something strong enough to create a portal." Rumple said, feeling himself continue to weaken.

Snow reached out and put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, concern showing in her eyes. "Are you sure you two can do this? I know the Enchanted Forest pretty well too-"

"Have a little faith, Mom," Emma cut her off, "they can do it. Besides, we need as many people here figuring out a way to bring Regina back. Oh, and Belle-"

The woman was preoccupied with helping Rumple to a stand. "You want me to resume the mayoral duties, don't you?" She said, an optimistic smile on her face, "already on it. This town is going to have lots of questions about, well, everything."

"Good, let them know the truth- we could use all the insight we could get on how to fix all this."

"When's Henry getting here?" Roland asked her, breaking his long period of silence. Emma has forgotten he was still in the room.

"Any minute now," she said with a forced smile, "he's bringing Neal and Tink with him."

Even in the presence of so many friends and family members, the fifteen year old felt so alone. His entire immediate family had vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving him with constant anxiety and fear for what would come. He had barely slept or eaten.

"You know what, why don't you stay with Granny until they get here," Emma suggested, "she can make you food and give you a place to rest for a bit- you need to make sure you're taking care of yourself."

He immediately scowled. "I'm sick of being treated like a kid- I'm not five anymore, you don't need to keep pawning me off like some unwanted dog."

"Speaking of an unwanted dog, take Jupiter with you- this is for your own good." She then closed her eyes and began thinking of the transportation spell. When she reopened her eyes and saw that the spell didn't work, she swore under her breath. "Just- please, can you go? We're all really worried about you. I'll let you know if anything happens, promise."

He sighed, finally surrendering, going up stairs to collect his beagle before heading out the front door. Kicked out of my own house, he thought bitterly to himself. Rumple, Belle, Will, and Ruby followed behind him.

"You might want to revisit those magic training books I left you," said Rumple, causing Emma to visibly roll her eyes.

Soon she was left with just her parents and her boyfriend, who had remained remarkably quiet during the whole ordeal. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and sleep all of her problems away.

"We can head back home and keep reading through those books," David said, giving his daughter a comforting hug, "I also want to see if the security cameras around town caught Zelena- maybe we can find something helpful there."

Emma smiled. "Thanks, Dad- tell us if you find anything."

With that, they disappeared out the door, leaving Emma with the peace and quiet she was desperate for.


	25. The Kingsguard

"I thought you'd never show up," the redhead retorted dryly, "I haven't got much time left before the girl and her father returns."

Hovering above her was a black raven, one that transformed into a man when he hit the ground. The man shook the snow and dirt off his coat, an irritated look on his face.

"Tending to your ever growing list of needs is pretty time consuming these days."

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Well, did you get what I asked?"

Out from Walsh's messenger bag came a small box, one that had been given to her by the Ice Queen a few weeks prior. She took it from him instantly, eyes wide at her token prize that would give her what she wanted.

"It won't be long now," she said, giving him one of her rare, genuine smiles. It quickly faded when she saw the uneasy expression on his face- after knowing him for so long, she knew when he had something negative to say.

"You're right- on the way over here, however..." he watched as her eyes went dark. God, he hated being enslaved to her. "I saw a whole lot of ice. After following the trail for a bit, I saw her- the Ice Queen. She found a way out of the Dark One's castle."

Her brow furrowed. "How the hell did she manage that? I thought Rumple had her trapped there."

Walsh shrugged.

"Well, she better still meet us at the castle, since that's where we're currently headed. What does she expect us to do, wait around while she turns people into popsicles?"

"Turn who into popsicles?" Came Caroline's voice from behind, causing the woman to spin around in surprise. She carried the wooden bow and a satchel of arrows on her back while her father carried four dead squirrels in his both of his hands.

"Who's this?"

Zelena turned to look back at Walsh for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Walsh- my personal assistant. He'll make sure we don't run into trouble."

Caroline gave her a confused look. "Walsh like... your dog?"

The man smiled. "That was me. Pleased to finally meet you-"

"We don't have time for chit-chat, go back to doing your job." Zelena then waved her hand towards him, transforming the man back into a bird. Caroline watched with wonder as the bird promptly flew back into the sky, gone within seconds.

"Well we got lunch," Robin began, breaking the silence, "all we need is to get a fire started."

The girl was still on the fence about eating something that had been alive just an hour beforehand. However, seeing how normal Zelena and her father were being about it made her more willing to try.

Caroline intently watching her dad prepare the fire, sitting herself down next to Zelena on the stiff, cold grass. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and it made her start to think that the person she thought she knew might only be a small farce compared to who he really was. This created a small feeling of sadness that didn't seem to go away.

"My father taught me how to do this when I was younger than you are now," Robin marveled, extremely impressed with the return of his survival instincts. "He made me do it all by myself for the first time, and I was scared out of my mind."

Zelena had quickly tuned out, already beyond bored of stories from the past. She was quickly growing to regret bringing Robin along; he was nothing more than another villager trying to get by day after day.

"Do you think you could live here after being in Storybrooke for so long?" The girl asked, watching the squirrels cook over the open flame. She should've been appalled at the sight, yet all she felt was curiosity. "No phones, electricity, running water..."

Robin laughed. "It certainly would be hard, but if I had my family with me it wouldn't be too bad."

The image of her mother living in the realm was still fuzzy to her- was the world big and fascinating through her eyes when she was ten, or was it already full of rules and expectations?

"I was ready to give up everything about this place when I arrived at Storybrooke," Zelena chimed in, "running water is a real game changer, especially the showers."

Robin finally agreed with her for the first time. He removed the squirrels from the fire and handed one to the both of them. The ten year old was more than wary to begin eating, but hunger was driving her actions- it really wasn't that half bad, either. She added eating squirrel to the list of things she could tell her mom and Roland when they got back.

"See, it really isn't that bad," Robin teased, relieved that she ate without any fuss.

Before Caroline could form a response, she caught sight of a group of men on horses riding straight towards them. She pointed her finger in their direction. "Someone's coming!"

Robin jumped to his feet and grabbed his bow, drawing an arrow. The group of armed guards approached them quickly, forming a circle around them.

"Let me do the talking," Zelena muttered to Robin, who had no time to argue with her.

"What are you three doing out on a day like this?" One of the men, presumably the leader, asked.

Robin kept his arrow pointed at him as Zelena spoke.

"We're on our way back to our village- since when is it a crime to be out in the middle of the day?"

"There has been an official warning from King Fabian himself, posted around every village in the area," the man said, "it isn't safe to be traveling- have you not heard about the Ice Queen and her dark magic? No one is quite sure where she came from, but she's been terrorizing anyone and anything that's stood in her way."

Caroline paled- that was the Ice Queen they were supposed to be meeting in Rumple's castle. She didn't know what exactly to expect when they would meet, but it seemed like she was far more intimidating than they thought.

"We'll be back before sunset," Robin assured, "I won't let anything happen to my daughter."

"It's getting colder by the minute," another one of the men spoke, "some sort of spell or something. You better be on your way, quickly now- if you happen to run into her, no one will be able to help you, or your daughter."

With that, the guards took off again down the beaten dirt path, leaving the three of them beside a smoldering fire. Once again, Robin felt powerless and frustrated- the odds were continuing to stack against them.

"I thought you said she was trapped," he said irritably, "now she's going to start an ice age?"

Zelena gritted her teeth- this was not how their journey was supposed to go. "I don't know how she got out. We'll continue towards the castle- I'll convince her to still meet us there. Everything will work out."

He didn't seem too sure.

"Why do we need her again?" Caroline asked as they continued on their way.

Even Zelena was starting to get annoyed with the amount of secrets she had to keep from the girl. "She's the only person that can activate the time reversal spell- she'll do it if I bring her something in return."

Before she could ask what it was the Ice Queen wanted in return, Robin reached over and pulled the hood from her cloak over her head. "I can already feel it getting colder, how crazy is that? Are you positive the castle is a two days walk from here Zelena?"

She gave him a pointed look. "Of course I'm sure. Let's see how far we can get before the sun sets."

Though they were only a day into their journey, the initial excitement Caroline had perceived was already beginning to wear thin. Obviously she was willing to help Zelena out, but the whole thing seemed a bit off. There was also the fact that her father was acting really strange towards the red-headed woman. Was this Ice Queen dangerous? The uneasiness in the pit of her stomach continued to grow with each step she took towards the castle.

* * *

Granny's cooking was sure something he couldn't live without. As worked up and anxious as Roland had become, his spirits lifted at the smell of her delicious food. She was the grandma everyone wished they had.

"Did you want that special seasoning you like?" Granny asked, rifling through her cluttered cabinets. Roland jumped up off the couch to help her, reaching with ease to the top shelf to grab the burger seasoning.

"It's really isn't the best burger in town without it," he said, sending a smile her way.

"I remember when you came in the restaurant to eat your first burger- you were so little. Your mom showed you how to eat it and everything."

He watched her take the burgers off the stovetop and stack on some lettuce and tomatoes. Accepting his burger, Roland sat down at her small table and took his first bite- it really was the best burger.

"It's really hard to believe that I'm not from this world," he admitted in between bites, "I would've had a completely different life over there. Maybe I'd learn how to use a sword or something."

Granny laughed. "People always say that, it it's harder than it looks." The teenager wondered what exactly she did during her time in the Enchanted Forest- she kept it a secret from everyone, including Ruby. "We've all been here for so long. It's easy to forget."

Roland didn't realize how hungry he was until he started eating. The thought of not having burgers in the Enchanted Forest sounded insane to him- how was Caroline handling it?

"Do you think that she remembers us, wherever mom is?" He asked suddenly, thinking out loud.

Granny gave him a sympathetic look. "There really isn't any way of knowing. All we can do is try our best to get her back. I for one am still shocked by the fact that Regina has a sister- who would've thought? Cora really did have lots of twisted secrets up her sleeve."

Finishing his burger, Roland brought his dish to the sink and began to wash it. Keeping himself occupied helped stop him from overthinking. "I just don't know why she thinks having the life mom had would make her happy- I mean, mom was alone for who knows how long before she had us, and her life still turned out positive."

Granny couldn't agree more. Regina Mills was the last person in town that she thought she'd end up loving like family, yet here she was, taking care of her son like he was her own.

"We don't know how powerful she really is, either," she added, "makes me terrified for Ruby and Will. I'm glad they want to do their part to help, but I worry."

Roland took her plate and dipped it in the soapy water, trying to keep the bitter taste out of his mouth upon thinking of when he had briefly met Zelena after school. If only he had known then.

"Whenever Will is really passionate about something, he gets it done. Plus, Ruby'll be by his side to protect him- Zelena should be scared of her."

Granny couldn't agree more. She was so glad he was there to keep her company among all the chaos.

"You should call up your friends," she proposed, "even though things are tough right now, you still have to think about how you can take care of yourself- maybe even start going back to school?"

He shook his head, sitting back down next to her at the table and casting his eyes downward. "It's... too soon. I can't think about anything else except how my family is in danger. Anything could happen to them-"

"I know, I know." Granny cut him off, reaching a hand out towards his. "I had this same conversation with your mom when your dad was still in the Enchanted Forest. At the time, things looked really bleak, but everything worked out in its own time."

He wanted to believe her, he really did- but only the utter direness of the situation shone through. Dread cling onto him.


	26. Making Magic Happen

The silence was really starting to get to her. Emma thought that distancing herself from her family for a bit would be nice, but the eeriness crept upon her without notice. Killian couldn't take being around a comatose Regina any longer, so he let Emma be and explored downstairs. The blonde couldn't seem to leave the master bedroom- she had three different spellbooks cracked open lying on her bed. Even if it killed her, Emma was going to get back in touch with her magic and figure out a way to rescue her. Magic always came naturally to her, much to Regina's annoyance, but after so many years of abandonment, some of it was still a struggle.

"I know you're probably judging me," she said sarcastically towards Regina, "but I was fine for ten years without magic, you gotta admit."

Reading the ancient literature was hardly Emma's strong suit, but it was Regina's life on the line. She probably would've known exactly what to do if the situation were reversed.

"You definitely haven't been turned into a toadstool," she muttered, flipping through the pages irritably. Her eyes were tired of reading words that barely made sense to her. In the few hours she had spent in the room, Emma had successfully remembered how to make objects levitate and how to teleport herself to different places in a cloud of smoke. None of these things could help with finding Regina.

Perhaps it was her need to always be the one to fix things that kept driving her forward; she didn't know. But Regina had children that really needed her, along with many honorary family members that wouldn't be the same without her. So Emma pressed forward.

By the time she looked up from the book she was attempting to read, the sky outside was completely black. Her nose crinkled at the smell of something odd but delicious wafting in from downstairs. Gliding down the staircase, Emma was surprised to see her boyfriend in the kitchen, tending to three different pots on the stove at once.

"What the hell is this?" Emma asked, in a weak attempt to be cross with him. She was hungry, though.

Killian grinned towards her. "We can't let their food go to waste, right? I'm trying to perfect this quiche recipe."

The pirate had recently taken an interest in culinary arts, much to Emma's enjoyment.

"I am starving, but this is kind of... weird, considering the situation."

Killian gave her a look. "I know Robin would be okay with it- -and we do have to stay here overnight to look after Regina. Makes sense to me."

Her tension eased when he uncorked a bottle of red wine and poured a glass for her. She graciously accepted the glass and kissed him.

"I'm glad I don't have to be here by myself tonight," she said before taking a sip.

The dinner Killian had made was delicious, just like she knew it would be. In just an hour, she was full and pleasantly drunk, almost making her almost forget about all their current problems.

"They really have decorated this place nicely over the years," Emma remarked, gazing around at the living room she had been in thousands of times before. "Doesn't it make you feel old, knowing that we've both been in here before Caroline was born? I still remember when Regina gave me the apple turnovers and tried forcing me out of town- those were the days."

The pirate put his arm around her and pulled her close. Sure he was beginning to accept the fact that they were all getting older; he had even let some of his grey hairs remain uncolored. Things like that used to bother him, but since Emma came into his life, he relaxed on quite a few things that weren't nearly as important.

"It's strange not having Caroline here demanding all of our attention," he remarked, the memory still fresh in his mind. "She's just like her mother- outspoken and relentless when it comes to getting her way."

Talking about the ten year old only made her worry about her more.

"Let's hope she can use that magic of hers to her advantage- it's impossible to picture her doing it, though. She's so young... do you think she's more powerful than me?"

"We'll have to pit you two against each other to find out," Killian replied, kissing her again.

Just then, the door opened, making the couple jump up in surprise. In came Henry, followed by Tinkerbell and Neal, all looking flustered.

"Oh god- you guys aren't supposed to be here until the morning!" She exclaimed, giving her son a tight hug.

"We started driving as soon as you called- is she upstairs?" Henry asked, exhaustion showing in his eyes.

Emma suddenly regretted drinking so much. The alcohol made her feel groggy- she wasn't in the right mindset for the conversation they were about to have.

She and Killian updated the three of them on the situation as best they could, and soon Tink was right where she was an hour ago, veraciously reading the spellbooks Emma had left out.

"Why isn't Grace with you?"

Henry sighed, unable to look away from Regina in her state. "She's swamped at the university right now- with everything going on, there's no way she could've come with us."

Emma wished Grace could be there, but figured it was for the better. The emotional tournament of it all was really getting to her, and it had only been two days.

"I should check up on Dad and see how he's doing," Neal said, giving Tinkerbell a quick kiss before waving goodbye to everyone else.

Even though her son was an adult now, Emma could still see the same look in his eyes as she did when he was ten- it was a look of hopelessness, one under very different circumstances.

"Don't worry kid, this is another operation for us to solve. This time we have a lot more people on our team- we'll figure out how to get them back, I promise."

Henry admired her passion. Maybe it was because he had been in the real world for too long, but he had trouble seeing the positives. Half of his family were missing, including his little sister. This left an ache in his heart. He couldn't imagine how Roland was dealing with all of it; the guy got stressed out over even the mundane things in his life. All Henry knew was he had to go see him.

* * *

Back in the Enchanted Forest, the cold was really beginning to set in. Caroline didn't notice it at first, but once the sun started to disappear from the sky, cold began to seep its way through her clothes. There weren't any snowflakes falling around them; the cold was invisible and it was approaching fast.

"We should stop for the night before it gets too dark," Robin declared, turning back to face Zelena and his daughter. With how cold they were, no complaints were made.

Robin got to work on making a fire while Caroline watched, desperate for warmth.

"Are you sure we can't use magic?" She asked Zelena, "some blankets would be nice."

The woman couldn't agree more, but she was wary- it could be like shooting a flare upwards into the air for the Ice Queen to see. But considering the alternative could be freezing in their sleep, there didn't seem to be any other option.

"Alright, why not," she said, giving the girl a look. "Do you want to try it?"

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Robin looked up from the fire he was attempting to start. "No way- you can do it just fine, Zelena."

In response, she waved her hand and ignited the fire instantly. "Don't you want to see your daughter practice?"

Caroline gave her dad a pleading glance. "Can I? I wanna learn some more."

Of course Robin wanted her to develop the skill she was inherently born with, but he also recalled the stories Regina shared about her path down to darkness: there was a fine line between passion and rage.

"Don't worry, we'll keep it quick- won't we Dear?" Zelena smiled smugly as she placed her hands on Caroline's shoulders. Robin gritted his teeth and tried to suppress his frustration. He was over lying to his daughter about who the woman really was.

"Fine- but I expect a very comfortable sleeping situation out of it."

The girl was thrilled. "I'll do it myself!"

Zelena emitted a small laugh. "We'll work up to that. But with how smart you are, it shouldn't take too long... Maybe even before it gets completely dark."

She lead her a bit farther into the woods from their designated stop for the night. Wind rustled the leaves overhead; in the faint light that remained around them, Caroline noted how pretty Zelena looked with her red hair that always remained perfectly curled. Whenever she let her guard down (mostly when she thought nobody was looking), the girl was reminded of the kind woman she first met at Granny's daughter.

"Alright, off with the earrings," Zelena said, her voice cutting through her thoughts.

Caroline obeyed, taking them off with practiced ease and sticking them in her pocket.

"Now, let's begin with the basics," Zelana said, loving her leadership position instantly. "Magic is driven by emotion. It's heightened by how you're feeling in the moment- if you're not careful, though, it can get out of control. And, like anything, it gets better with practice."

In her hand a blindfold appeared, one that she promptly covered the girl's eyes with. "Do you trust me?"

Caroline nodded, brimming with excitement. She jumped slightly when she realized Zelena was no longer behind her.

"Follow the sound of my voice," she instructed, "direct the magic inside of you and give it a purpose- find me."

It was obviously there, the magic stirring through her veins. The ten year old balled her fists and commanded herself to move, but when she lifted her blindfold, she realized she was still where she started.

"It's getting colder, we're running out of time." Zelena called from a different location. "Think about a moment that made you angry- really angry- and use that to make it happen."

"Does it have to be anger?" Caroline asked, beginning to shiver in her boots. "Can't I think of something happy instead?"

Zelena tried to not roll her eyes. "Whatever the thought is, make it a really important one."

She began sifting through her thoughts, which was hard considering the stark bitterness of the air around her. Memories of her and Roland playing outside with their dog, watching Henry graduate high school, and being held by her mom created a warmness from within her. It wasn't until she was away from her mom and brothers that she realized how much she truly loved them.

Reaching forward, she felt the fabric of Zelena's cloak on her fingertips. She tugged off the blindfold to see the woman standing right in front of her.

"You did it!" She exclaimed, welcoming the hug the girl gave her. "Look what you're capable of."

The rush of magic still had her reeling- it felt like someone had jumpstarted her soul, revitalizing a part of her that she wasn't even aware of a week ago.

"Let's get started on getting warm; we have a long night ahead of us."

* * *

Henry held is younger brother tight, suddenly regretting how mean he was towards him during his last visit.

"I'm sorry you've had to go through all this," he began, "it's been a while, but I remember what it feels like."

Just then, Emma swore from across the room. "I can't get any of these stupid spells to work!"

"Mom, yelling isn't going to fix anything- if we don't stay focused, we won't be able to find her."

Emma glanced up at him, exhausted and brimming with irritation. She knew he was right.

Before Killian could suggest heading to bed for the evening, Henry took off towards the hall storage closet. His audience of three all looked suspicious as he began looking through various baskets of misplaced items. Finally, he pulled out a small, circular object, looking triumphant as he did so.

"I'm so glad it's still here!" He said, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"What is it?" Emma asked, wary of his enthusiasm.

"This is a looking glass- when Dad was stuck in the Enchanted Forest, Will gave us one of these to communicate with him. I, uh, sort of broke the original one, so a few years later I asked Mr. Gold to let me have one of his from his shop because I felt bad."

Emma's eyes widened. "You're telling me that we can use that thing to talk to Robin and Caroline? Maybe even Regina too?"

Henry nodded. "You can do it with your magic- I know you can."

He handed her the small mirror, his passion returning to his senses by the second. This was the key to saving their family.


	27. Run

His body awoke with a start, a world of complete darkness around him. Although they all had warm blankets preventing the cold from disturbing their sleep, the brutal image of his wife lying motionless in his arms sent terrifying shocks through his system. He stared up at the pitch blackness around him; it was all around him, not an end in sight. The sound of his exasperated breath was only making things words- spending another second alone with his thoughts seemed absolutely detrimental. So Robin removed the blankets and braved the cold, careful not to wake Caroline or Zelena. He noted how unsettled the woman seemed in her sleep.

Quietly making his way through the freezing forest, he followed the faint sound of the brook they had set up camp close to. Once he got there, Robin cupped his hands and took in the frigid water- it immediately helped him forget about all the terrible things he was feeling inside.

Through the silence abruptly came a faint and familiar voice, one that startled the man nearly to death. He instantly detected that it was Emma's voice, but he had no idea where it was coming from. Maybe he was going mad.

"Robin, look down!" He heard the voice say. Doing so, he was shocked to see the image of his friend peering up at him from the water. He hoped their voices didn't carry over to the Wicked Witch.

"Oh my god- the looking glass?" He whispered down to her rippling reflection.

"Yeah- I've been trying to contact you all night, wasn't sure if you'd be around. You're alone, right?"

He nodded, though she could barely see him.

"Good. There's something really important you need to know about Zelena," she began, sounding urgent.

"Were you able to find Regina? Is she alright?"

"We're still working on finding a spell to bring her back," Emma sighed, "but her vitals are okay. Roland is okay too, a little shaken up- I really have to tell you about Zelena."

He prepared himself for the worst, the lump in his throat still annoyingly present. "What is it?"

Emma took a deep breath. "She's Regina's half sister. And she has this... deep rooted vengeance towards her. She wants to go back in time and make sure that Regina never exists- that means Caroline too."

All the air seemed to vanish from around him. Just when he thought things were already well past dismal, they got worse. They always had to get worse. His daughter's life was threatened in the hands of the Ice Queen, and the alternative was her never have living at all. Robin decided right then- enough was enough. He was taking his family back.

"Thank you for telling me, Emma, I really should be going now. I'm getting my daughter away from this crazy woman as fast as possible."

"She has very powerful magic, please be careful- don't do anything rash."

"Tell my son that I'm thinking about him every day I'm trapped here- thanks for taking care of him."

He then took off back towards their camp, remaining quiet as he did so. When he once again saw Zelena sleeping just feet away from his child, anger threatened to boil over within him. It all made perfect sense; the woman dug her claws into Caroline, gaining her friendship so she could easily steal her magic and erase her from history. The thought was absolutely sickening- she had no soul.

His days as a thief gave him the instinct to be utterly silent as he moved closer to the woman, leaning in ever so slowly as her emerald necklace remained the center of his view. Robin honestly had no clue if his vapid idea would work as he thought it would, but in that moment the man had absolutely no room to be hesitant. His hand lunged towards the necklace; it snapped off her neck and was clutched firmly in his palm.

Zelena instantly awoke, her eyes widening in sudden despair when she saw the necklace. He then knew that he was right.

She rose to a stand with a jolt of adrenaline, fury now replacing the fear. "Robin! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Caroline was now awake, sitting up in complete confusion.

"You're powerless, aren't you?" Robin taunted through gritted teeth, "now you're back to nothing. I'm taking back the control here, something I should've done two days ago."

"Robin, you really don't want to do this-"

"Would you care to tell my daughter the truth, or should I?"

"What's going on?" The girl asked fearfully, attempting to shake the sleep from her eyes. She had never seen her father so angry.

"Oh come on Zelena, don't be shy. If you we are so utterly willing to hand her over to another witch and forget about her, breaking her heart right now shouldn't be a problem."

Caroline couldn't find it within her to move, even to draw breath. Her eyes met Zelena's, stark blue, seeing a slur of emotions trapped within them. "What is he saying?"

The man was right, it should have been easy to tell her everything right there, then formulate a plan to get the girl back in her clutches, along with her magic. But she couldn't bear to see the loss of innocence that came with betrayal. Sadly, that part was already in motion.

"Getting my happiness means you no longer exist." Zelena finally spoke, accepting that all was lost, "your mother is my little sister. I want the life she had, so I don't have to spend every waking moment despising there fact that I got nothing in life."

The air only became colder between them.

"She... put your mother under a spell, before we came here. Her soul is trapped somewhere far away."

That's when Caroline found the energy to scramble to her feet; she couldn't bear to look at that awful woman for another second as her mind struggled to process what had just been said.

"Where did you take her?" She asked, her voice fragile yet biting.

"I-I don't know," she replied slowly, "it's somewhere personalized to her inner fears. She's still alive, though-"

"How could you be such a mean person?!" She demanded, the tears beginning to form, "I thought you were my friend!"

Zelena struggled to find words. Nothing she could say would make a difference. "I am your friend- I meant everything I said back in Storybrooke."

"A good person wouldn't want to steal someone's life and make it theirs." Caroline countered, turning to give her dad a pleading look. She wanted to be anywhere but there. "Having a new life won't even make you happy."

Robin put his hands protectively on her shoulders, still gripping the necklace tight. "We're going to find a way back home- don't even think about following us."

The two of them started walking away from Zelena, leaving her desperate and fuming. "How the hell do you plan on doing that?" She called after them, "you need my magic!"

Robin turned around and gave her a smug look. "You're not the only one with magic. Enjoy your Ice Queen."

She watched them quickly disappear into the blackness of the night, the cold accelerating in their absence.

"She's looking for Caroline!" Zelena shouted towards the nothingness, "she isn't safe!"

Silence was her only response.


End file.
